In Defense of Academic Freedom

12 October 2007

Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago

"The Oct. 12 conference, titled 'In Defense of Academic Freedom,' brought together not only Jews and non-Jews, but professors whose ideological differences are so vast they likely agree on little else than the notion that Jewish groups have degraded the quality and breadth of discussion in the media and in Washington.

Mearsheimer is a proponent of the realist school of international relations, which resists the intrusion of moral considerations into cold calculations of national interest. Chomsky's belief that American policy in the Middle East is motivated solely by imperialist aggression is greatly informed by the moral consequences of American behavior.

Nevertheless, they came together around the view that universities are the final redoubts of robust criticism of Israel. Naturally, they added, these institutions are now coming under assault."

- Read the rest of the article from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)

Download the mp3 podcast (recorded by Chicago Indymedia)!

Introduction - Tariq Ali, Editor of the New Left Review and Verso Books
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Dr. Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor & Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Dr. Akeel Bilgrami, Johnsonian Professor of Philosophy and Director of The Heyman Center, Columbia University
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Dr. Tony Judt, University Professor and Director of the Remarque Institute, New York University
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Dr. John Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago
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Question and Answer period - Listen now • Watch video

Mr. Evan Lorendo, Academic Freedom Committee, DePaul University
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Dr. Mehrene Larudee, International Studies Program, DePaul University
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Dr. Neve Gordon, Professor, Department of Politics and Government, Ben-Gurion University
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Dr. Norman Finkelstein, author of Image and Reality of the Israel Palestine Conflict, The Holocaust Industry and Beyond Chutzpah
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Sponsors:

Primary Sponsors

Diskord Magazine (University of Chicago, RSO), Verso Books (London), and Academic Freedom Committee (DePaul)

Co-Sponsors

University of Chicago: Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Center for International Studies, and International House Global Voices Program*

Info:

For more information, please email us at: info@academicfreedomchicago.org

http://www.academicfreedomchicago.org

DePaul Academic Freedom Conference
1-2 February 2007
DePaul University, Chicago, IL

Through the last year, the DePaul Academic Freedom Committee (AFC) has worked on campus to defend our professors and their ideas. Throughout our campaign, we noticed that the topic of academic freedom is rarely discussed in an academic setting. There are few academic conferences that feature academic freedom, a defining principal in the scholarly community.

We are pleased to present such an event at DePaul University on Feb 1-2 2008!

Conference Program (pdf)

The objective of the DePaul Academic Freedom Conference is to provide a board forum for scholars to present findings, research and exchange ideas about recent trends in academic freedom. Recently, DePaul University became the site of a number of academic freedom violations when Professors Mehrene Larudee and Norman Finkelstein were denied tenure. On Oct 12, with friends at the University of Chicago and Verso Books, AFC hosted a day long sympsium featuring a number of prominent speakers. Bearing in mind these events, DePaul University serves as a controversial but important context for such a conference.

Special speakers:

Sara Roy, Senior Research Scholar, Center for Middle East Studies, Harvard University

As'ad Abukhalil, Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, California State University - Stanislous

Bill Ayers, Professor, College of Education, University of Illinois - Chicago

Ken Butigan, author, professor and peace activist

Juan Cole, Professor, Department of History, University of Michigan

Marc Ellis, University Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Baylor University

Scott Hibbard, Department of Political Science, DePaul University

Robert Jensen, Associate Professor, School of Journalism, University of Texas - Austin

Joel Kovel, Editor-in-Chief of Capitalism, Nature, Socialism journal; Distinguished Professor of Social
Studies, Bard College

Peter Novick, Professor (Emeritus), Department of History, University of Chicago

and a special documentary film presented by

Landrum Bolling, Director, Mercy Corps