September 24, 2012, +972 Magazine http://972mag.com (Israel)
In an unprecedented move,
the Council for Higher Education will vote on shutting down the Department of
Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University, which has been the target of
right-wing propaganda for the last several years.
(Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev (photo: Cccc3333/CC-BY-SA-3.0))
A major political battle is
taking place this autumn within Israeli academia: the Israeli Council for
Higher Education (CHE), a
government-appointed body charged with the supervision and financing of
universities and colleges in Israel, is attempting to shut down the Department
of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University (BGU). In recent years, the
Department of Politics and Governments has been labeled by right-wing
organizations as “the most leftist in Israel,” and leading academics have been
subject to boycott call and demands not to renew their contracts. Yet, never
before has the fate of the entire department been threatened.
Earlier this month, a
sub-committee for quality control, which was appointed by the Israeli Council
for Higher Education, recommended
that the Department of Politics and Government at BGU be prevented from
registering new students in the coming academic year, due to the failure to
implement a
report regarding “professional failures” in the department, issued last
year. The recommendation, which effectively means closing down the department,
will be voted on by the CHE on October 23rd.
Both the original report and the
recent decision not to allow the Department of Politics and Government to
register new students were leaked to the press before they were made known to
Ben-Gurion University.
The attempt to shut down the BGU
department cannot be separated from the government’s recent decision to turn a
college in the West Bank settlement of Ariel into Israel’s eighth university.
After packing the Israeli courts with right-wing judges and weakening the
independent media, Netanyahu’s government is now attempting to politicize
academia and silence dissenting voices. As a result, the nature of the public
debate in Israel is rapidly changing.
In a
public letter to all members of the Israeli academic and research
community, Prof. Rivka Carmi, President of Ben-Gurion University stated:
The sub-committee’s decision was reached
without any factual base to back it up; it is unreasonable and disproportional
and most notably, it does not in any way reflect the opinion of the
international committee which oversaw the process. We therefore wonder what is
actually behind this decision.
Ironically, Professor Carmi has
been known for years as a leading voice in criticizing the Israeli academics at
her university who have expressed radical left-wing positions. But the attack
on the university was so brutal and extreme, that it left the president no
choice but to lead the campaign against it, several sources involved in the affair
told me.
______________
A few years back, right-wing
organizations began campaigning against “leftist” professors and academics.
Three organizations – Im Tirzu, Academia Monitor and Isra-Campus – came up with a
list of 1,000 faculty members suspected of left-wing bias or “anti-Zionism.”
(Rivka Carmi, President of
Ben-Gurion University (photo: Ben Gurion University / CC BY-3.0)
Im Tirzu, the most well-known of
the three organizations, and the one to enjoy the support of prominent Likud
members and ministers, has put a special emphasis on Ben-Gurion University.
Three years ago, Im Tirzu threatened President Carmi “to scare off donors”
if the university did not get rid of its left-wing faculty members. Later, the
group distributed posters suggesting that
faculty members in the Department of Politics and Government supported the 2001
lynch of two IDF soldiers in Ramallah – a blood libel without a shred of
evidence behind it.
One of Im Tirzu’s prominent
supporters is Education Minister Gidon Sa’ar (Likud). During his time in
office, Sa’ar attended
the Im Tirzu 2010 national convention, in which he promised “to act against
professors who call for an academic boycott on Israel.” Saar also promised “to
study” the findings of a shady report by Im Tirzu which pretended to measure
“the anti-Zionist bias” in political science departments in Israel. “I
congratulate you and your work,” Saar told the Im Tirzu convention in 2010,
according to a report in Haaretz.
In his capacity as Minister of
Education, Sa’ar also heads the Israeli Council for Higher Education.
______________
The Council for Higher
Education’s mandate forbids it from interfering with the actual material taught
in universities and colleges. Therefore, a few years ago, an “impartial”
international committee was formed to examine the political science departments
in Israel. Pretty early on, leading members of the committee felt that
something was wrong with the entire process. Prof. Ian Lustick, a political
scientist from University of Pennsylvania, was removed from the committee; as a
result, Prof. Robert Shapiro of Columbia University resigned from his position
as the committee’s chair. Among those left was Prof. Avraham Diskin, who has
authored articles praising the work of Im Tirzu.
The remaining members in the
special committee produced an unprecedented report, which called to examine the
entire existence of the Department for Politics and Government at BGU. The main
point of attack had to do with the inter-disciplinary nature of the academic
work at BGU, which until then had earned praise and was considered the
trademark of this department (+972 was the first to obtain and publish the
report in its entirely; you can read it here).
One committee member, Prof. Galia Golan, refused to sign the report, claiming
it was politically motivated. Instead, Golan wrote a minority opinion, in which
she stated that the demand “for a balance (of views) in the classroom… runs
directly counter to the principle of academic freedom.”
Still, Ben-Gurion University felt
that it had to comply with the report, and changes were made in the department
in order to put more emphasis on traditional political science research. As a
result, two international evaluators appointed by the CHE to oversee the
process congratulated the department for working to “fill its deficit.”
Despite all of that, the letter
by the international observers was followed by a recommendation by a
sub-committee within the Council for Higher Education to shut down the
department. Just like the government vote that established the first Israeli
university in occupied territory, the October vote on the fate of the
department for politics and government will be a turning point for the Israeli
academia, after which nothing may look the same.
Despite the bureaucratic tones
behind much of the proceedings involving the Department for Politics and
Government at BGU, there is no doubt in my mind that the prime motivation behind
the attack on the department and the university are political. Several sources
I have spoken to – even those who last year saw the criticism as “a
professional dispute” and not a political one – hold the same opinion. As Prof.
Carmi noted, the attack is not aimed only against this department or against
this university. The main function of the Council for Higher Education is to
provide budgets for universities. In an era of budget cuts, who will want to
further annoy this government-appointed council? What will become of professors
and researchers who hold left-wing or critical options, and whose contracts are
up for renewal or evaluation? Will Im Tirzu now become the standard-bearer in
academic discourse?
Even if the effort to shut down
the department of politics and government fails, the “cooling effect” on the
political conversation by such acts is already tangible, and the
marginalization of dissenting voices in Israel is a fact of life.
Related:
University accreditation for W. Bank college – a step towards one state
Panel recommends closing BGU politics dept. for “political bias”
Excerpts of leaked report on BGU’s Politics Dept
University accreditation for W. Bank college – a step towards one state
Panel recommends closing BGU politics dept. for “political bias”
Excerpts of leaked report on BGU’s Politics Dept
Israeli and international
academics have started a petition
in support of the Department of Politics and Government. You can read more on
the issue on this
site.
-----
PROTECT ACADEMIC FREEDOM | שמרו
http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/academyunderattack
Opened on September 22, 2012
עברית אחרי אנגלית
We, faculty members of academic institutions worldwide, express our
deepest concern regarding the latest events vis-à-vis the Department of
Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University, including the decision of the
Evaluation Committee of the Council for Higher Education (CHE) to close the
department to student registration, the practical implication of which is the
department’s closure. We feel that academic freedom in Israel’s
higher education system is under severe attack, and that the closure of this
department is the first case, but certainly not the last - unless this current
trend is stopped.
This small department at Ben Gurion University
has become a target of ultra right-wing groups such as “Im Tirtzu”, due to the
personal political opinions of some of the department’s members. The
distinguished CHE Evaluation Committee recently proposed a series of changes to
the department, primarily to strengthen the core areas of Political Science
within the curriculum and to encourage the recruitment of new staff in these
areas. Already within the original report of the Committee Prof. Galia Golan,
who wrote the report’s “minority opinion,” expressed her concern with regard to
the report’s demand for “balance”, as it may harm the academic freedom of the
faculty members. Nevertheless, the department has gone to great lengths to meet
the Committee’s requirements. Following the changes made by the department, the
Committee expressed its satisfaction at the changes and even proposed that, in
light of these changes, the subject of closing down the department’s
registration should be removed from the agenda.
It is therefore extremely surprising that the
CHE’s Subcommittee for Quality Assurance is now recommending that new steps be
taken that will lead to the effective closure of the department. This latest
proposal implies that the goal – to close the department – was marked in
advance, without regard to any academic problems; the means of so doing were
determined later-on.
As far as we know, there exists no precedence
for the CHE’s closing of an academic department. Rigorous assessment of the
current situation reveals that there is no real basis for taking such a step in
the case of the Department of Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University.
We call on the Council for Higher Education to
reject the proposals of the Subcommittee for Quality Assurance, and to provide
the department with the appropriate means to continue in its growth and
development.
http://isacademyunderattack.wordpress.com/
אנו, חברות וחברי סגל במוסדות אקדמיים מכל רחבי הארץ, מבקשים להביע את דאגתנו העמוקה מהאירועים האחרונים בעניינה של המחלקה לפוליטיקה וממשל באוניברסיטת בן גוריון, כולל הצעת ההחלטה של ועדת הערכה של המועצה להשכלה גבוהה (מל"ג) לסגור את המחלקה לרישום סטודנטים, שפרושה בפועל סגירת המחלקה. אנו חשים שהחופש האקדמי של מערכת ההשכלה הגבוהה בישראל נמצא תחת מתקפה קשה, וכי סגירת מחלקה זו מהווה מקרה ראשון, אך ודאי לא אחרון, אלא אם כן תיעצר המגמה העכשווית.
אנו, חברות וחברי סגל במוסדות אקדמיים מכל רחבי הארץ, מבקשים להביע את דאגתנו העמוקה מהאירועים האחרונים בעניינה של המחלקה לפוליטיקה וממשל באוניברסיטת בן גוריון, כולל הצעת ההחלטה של ועדת הערכה של המועצה להשכלה גבוהה (מל"ג) לסגור את המחלקה לרישום סטודנטים, שפרושה בפועל סגירת המחלקה. אנו חשים שהחופש האקדמי של מערכת ההשכלה הגבוהה בישראל נמצא תחת מתקפה קשה, וכי סגירת מחלקה זו מהווה מקרה ראשון, אך ודאי לא אחרון, אלא אם כן תיעצר המגמה העכשווית.
מחלקה קטנה זו באוניברסיטת בן גוריון הפכה למטרה לארגוני ימין קיצוני
כמו "אם תרצו", עקב הדעות הפוליטיות הפרטיות של כמה מחבריה. ועדת הערכה
מכובדת של המל"ג הציעה לאחרונה סדרה של שינויים במחלקה, בעיקר כדי לחזק את
תחומי הליבה של מדע המדינה בתכנית הלימודים ולעודד גיוס חברי סגל חדשים בתחומים
אלו. כבר בדו"ח המקורי של הועדה ניתן למצוא "דעת מיעוט" שנכתבה על
ידי פרופסור גליה גולן, ובה היא מביעה את דאגתה מהדרישה ל"איזון" העלולה
לפגוע בחופש האקדמי של חברי המחלקה, העומד בבסיסה של כל פעילות מדעית. אף על פי
כן, המחלקה והאוניברסיטה השקיעו אנרגיה רבה כדי לעמוד בדרישות הועדה. בעקבות
השינויים שעשתה המחלקה הביעה הועדה המלווה את שביעות רצונה מהשינויים ואפילו הציעה
שלאור שינויים אלה יש להסיר את נושא סגירת הרישום למחלקה מעל סדר היום.
מפתיע על כן מאד שועדת המשנה להבטחת איכות של המל"ג ממליצה כעת
על צעדים חדשים שיובילו אפקטיבית לסגירת המחלקה. ההמלצות החדשות מרמזות שהמטרה
-לסגור את המחלקה- סומנה מראש, ללא קשר לכל בעיה אקדמית וכי האמצעים נבחרו לאחר
מכן.
ככל הידוע לנו, אין תקדים לסגירת מחלקה אקדמית על ידי מל"ג.
הערכה קפדנית של המצב הנוכחי מלמדת שגם אין בסיס אמיתי לנקיטת צעד כזה במקרה של
המחלקה לפוליטיקה וממשל באוניברסיטת בן גוריון.
אנו קוראים לכן למל"ג לדחות את ההצעות של ועדת המשנה להבטחת
איכות, ולתת למחלקה את האמצעים המתאימים להמשיך בהתפתחותה.
http://academyunderattack.wordpress.com/
http://academyunderattack.wordpress.com/
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