European supremacism bad, female suicide bomber good
Open letter from Sydney University academics posted online yesterday:
The cultural and intellectual legacies of “the West” … are already intensively studied and taught in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences … The Ramsay programme represents, quite simply, European supremacism writ large … Collaborating with the chauvinistic Western essentialism that the Ramsay Centre programme embodies would be a violation of our crucial role in promoting a society of diversity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect … (signatories) Dr Nick Riemer … Associate Professor Jake Lynch … Dr Tim Anderson … Dr Belinda Castles … Dr Dyah Pitaloka … Dr Susan Potter
Riemer and Lynch? Gareth Narunsky, Australian Jewish News, April 19:
A … petition calling on academics to join the anti-Israel boycott campaign is being sent to mass email lists at the University of Sydney. Spearheaded by linguistics lecturer Nick Riemer and … activist Jake Lynch, the call to boycott Israeli universities is … in response to Israel’s defence of its border with Gaza … Zionist Federation of Australia president Danny Lamm said: … “Universities should be creating an environment which fosters … acceptance of differing opinions …” B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dvir Abramovich said … such conduct … “can only add to the toxic anti-Israel environment, especially on university campuses”.
An anti-Israel environment at Sydney Uni? Richard Ferguson, The Australian, yesterday:
A female suicide bomber … (who) killed more than 50 people, mainly Israeli … (features) on the cover (of student newspaper Honi Soit which) called her a “martyr” … The … Student Representative Council (condemned the Australian Union of Jewish Students) … “for suggesting the university should … censor a student-run publication … (and) congratulates … Honi for their … cover … (the suicide bomber) was a member of Syria’s Arab Socialist Ba’ath party …
Syria’s Arab Socialist Ba’ath party? Sam Buckingham-Jones, The Australian, April 11 last year:
Dr Tim Anderson, who in 1978 was acquitted of the Sydney Hilton bombing and now lectures in economics and international politics (at Sydney University), has sent a … series of tweets … saying President Trump authorised “vanity terrorism” missile strikes in Syria … (and Barack) Obama … “covertly financed and armed ALL the terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq” … Dr Anderson, who … met (President Bashar) al-Assad (leader of the Syrian Arab Socialist Ba’ath party) in 2013, rejected reports the Syrian government orchestrated a chemical weapons strike … (in which) at least 87 people, including 31 children and 20 women, were killed … In a tweet, he wrote: “I don’t recall Adolf Hitler being accused of targeting German civilians. Either Bashar al Assad is worse than Hitler, or al Qa’ida is lying.” … The University of Sydney today said … it allows its academics to freely comment on issues “in their area of expertise”.
Belinda Castles’s area of expertise? Tim Elliot, smh.com.au, September 20, 2006:
Castles’ … novel The River Baptists … has won this year’s Vogel Literary Award … “It’s quite a soapie,” Castles said. “My favourite writing is literary soap …”
And the others? University of Sydney website, yesterday:
Dyah Pitaloka … research interests … Transgender meanings of health … in Singapore … Susan Potter … (is) currently working on … “Queer Timing: Early Cinema and the Emergence of Lesbian Sexuality” and “Counterintimacies: Queer Documentary”.