As a matter of principle I oppose firing any academic for political reasons: academic freedom and all that, although I know nearly nothing about Joel Kovel himself.
That said, and perhaps for similar reasons, I am not a fan of academic boycotts of Israel, even though I am less and less sympathetic with their behavior in Gaza and the West Bank (and, yes, I am aware of the nastiness of Hamas constantly firing rockets, and, no, I am simply not going to get at all into a general debate or discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian issue, although I am sure some will want to do so, be my guest(s)).
As a matter of principle I oppose firing any academic for political reasons: academic freedom and all that, although I know nearly nothing about Joel Kovel himself.
ReplyDeleteThat said, and perhaps for similar reasons, I am not a fan of academic boycotts of Israel, even though I am less and less sympathetic with their behavior in Gaza and the West Bank (and, yes, I am aware of the nastiness of Hamas constantly firing rockets, and, no, I am simply not going to get at all into a general debate or discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian issue, although I am sure some will want to do so, be my guest(s)).
What is an 'academic boycott'? Does this mean refusal to discuss?
ReplyDelete