Review: The Imperial University: Academic Repression and Scholarly Dissent by Piya Chatterjee and Sunain Maira (eds)

Bill V. Mullen reviewed The Imperial University: Academic Repression and Scholarly Dissent, edited by Piya Chatterjee and Sunain Maira, and published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2014.

[T]his is, far and away, the most affecting, comprehensive, and visionary collection of essays published to date on the politics of contemporary higher education. The book memorably sketches out what Raymond Williams called the “structure of feeling” in today’s university: the lived experience of ideological contestation, economic restructuring, professional vulnerability, political imagining, and political foreclosure. In this achievement, The Imperial University is sui generis: it should be bookmarked by historians of neoliberal higher education and used as a brick by those seeking to build an invigorated academic Left. ... read more ...

One of the essays in this volume is by Steven Salaita. Bill Mullen has written in defense of Steven Salaita.

Salaita firing shows where Zionism meets neoliberalism at US universities | Tithi Bhattacharya & Bill V. Mullen http://t.co/FXPttxtJ9j
— Electronic Intifada (@intifada) September 4, 2014

I have not read the book.

Support Steven Salaita, Academic, Activist and Target of Zionists

On Corey Robin's blog, I learned that the University of Illinois Chancellor has rescinded an offer of employment to Professor Steven Salaita.

In the meantime, do something for Steven Salaita. Write a note to University of Illinois Chancellor Phyllis Wise (best to email her at both chancellor@illinois.edu and pmischo@illinois.edu), urging her to rescind her rescission. ... read more ...

Professor Salaita has a website (not working when I wrote this), a Twitter account and a Goodreads author page.

Another way of supporting Professor Salaita is to read and promote his books. I own The Uncultured Wars: Arabs, Muslims and the Poverty of Liberal Thought. Consider buying or sending other books for me to review or submitting a review yourself.

The most recent publication I found was an essay entitled "Normatizing State Power: Uncritical Ethical Praxis and Zionism" in The Imperial University: Academic Repression and Scholarly Dissent, edited by Piya Chatterjee and Sunaina Maira.

Updated 2014-08-06: Mohammad Fadel of the University of Toronto published the letter he sent. There is a change.org petition for people to sign.

Updated 2014-08-07. Electronic Intifada reports that Professor Salaita was "fired," not that his job offer was revoked. US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has issued an action alert with suggested measures you can take. Illinois AAUP Committee. A Statement on Steven Salaita and UIUC.

Updated 2014-08-09. Rather than update with each important article, I'm simply going to give you the link to all Corey Robin's posts tagged Steven Salaita and Electronic Intifada posts tagged Steven Salaita.