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Something About Yale's David R. Graeber

By David Peterson at May 18, 2005

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In a recent interview with the embattled---and on the verge of becoming a former---Yale University Assistant Professor of Anthrolopogy David Graeber, Joshua Frank reported that in early May, "Prof. Graeber was informed that his teaching contract at Yale would not be extended." But, Frank continued, "it was not Graeber's scholarship that was ever in question; rather it was his political philosophies that may have played a heavy hand in the administration's unwarranted decision." In the interview, Frank asked Graeber to "talk a little bit about the circumstances leading up to Yale's decision not to renew your teaching contract," whether Graeber believes his case may be "symptomatic of a larger problem in the U.S. where radical professors are being targeted for their unpopular political views"---the cases of Ward Churchill at the University of Colorado at Boulder and that of Joseph Massad at New York's Columbia University also were raised---or whether Graeber believes that all of these may be "isolated incidents." According to Graeber (and please note that I am being selective here, so I urge you to read the complete interview):
[S]omething's changing. I mean, I'm sure it's not like there's someone giving orders from above or anything, but there's a climate suddenly where people feel they can get away with this sort of thing, and the Ward Churchill and Massad cases obviously must have something to do with that. I've been hearing a lot of stories, in recent weeks, about radical teachers suddenly being let go for no apparent reason. They don't even have to dig up something offensive you're supposed to have said any more - at least, in my case no one is even suggesting I did or said anything outrageous, in which case, at least there'd be something to argue about.
Joshua Frank's interview with David Graeber was followed by some additional information, including a link to an online petition that readers are invited to sign "In Support of David Graeber" (the petition had attracted 3,217 signatories as of this Wednesday afternoon, May 18); Graeber's email address; and the email addresses of several of the principals at Yale involved in determining the Professor's fate. The link to the Professor's email address---which you'll have to access via CounterPunch or the Anthropology Department at Yale, as I'm not reproducing it here---is one item that I find particularly worthy of note. Perhaps I should write to the Professor, and express my support? Perhaps you should too? But if one or both of us write to him, what should we say? Should we follow Joshua Frank's lead, and make the Professor out to be the latest link in a chain of demonized leftist (or, in the Professor's avowed case, anarchist), anti-American, racist, terrorist-supporting and even bomb-throwing academics who have been campus-watched right out of their classrooms and jobs---and into the unemployment lines? About whom, let it be affirmed straight away, there are many authentic cases worthy of our support. Beginning, for example, with Professor Massad at Columbia and Professor Churchill at UCB. And extending onward, if you like, to Newsweek's Michael Isikoff---who very well could lose his job at the behest of the regime in the White House, far less for getting his facts wrong than for getting them right. Maybe not. Because when, in mid-May, 2004, a friend of mine sent an email message to a number of his friends, colleagues, and acquaintances, among whom was the aforementioned anarchist Professor at Yale, including the copy of a little manuscript that my friend had just completed, bearing the title, “The Cruise Missile left (Part 5): Samantha Power and the Genocide Gambit,” the Professor was none-too-pleased to have found the document in his Inbox. As a matter of fact, the Professor was enraged over this particular manuscript, and responded to my friend with the following email (May 18, 2004):
That's disgusting. Get me off your fucking list, asshole I didn't ask to be bombarded by letters explaining why simply slaughtering the entire male population of a certain ethnic group isn't genocide because they don't kill all the women and children too. I don't care what sort of point your source is trying to make about Western bias - anyone who writes this kind of apologia has lost their humanity, and I must say I have zero respect left for you for reprinting this - apparently, you would be sending off excuses for the Brownshirts of [sic] KKK too if US foreign policy happened to tactically align itself against them at some point. I almost wish some Nazi would rape and mutilate your daughter because of her ethnic or religious affiliation so as to see how you'd feel to see some self-righteous asshole scream about how some of her coreligionists did something bad too so she had it coming. Except of course she wouldn't deserve it. You do. People like you defile the left and everything it stands for.
Of course, one never can be quite sure as to the reasons why the esteemed Professor adopted the forensic style that he used in response to my friend's manuscript. And far be it from the Professor to ever say or write anything offensive or outrageous. To anyone. For whatever reason. Even in hastily drafted emails. Or to hurl good old-fashioned cuss words in place of learned discourse. Or even to almost wish that some Nazi would rape and mutilate the daughter of one of his interlocutors---whether inside academia, among his students at Yale, or the general public. Much less to accuse anyone of defiling the Left and everything it stands for. And so on. With or without cause.
"Without Cause: Yale Fires An Acclaimed Anarchist Scholar," Joshua Frank, CounterPunch, May 13, 2005 “The Cruise Missile left (Part 5): Samantha Power and the Genocide Gambit,” Edward S. Herman, ZNet, May 17, 2004 "When Students Complain About Professors, Who Gets to Define the Controversy?" Jon Weiner, Chronicle of Higher Education, May 13, 2005 (Accessed via the Academics For Justice website.) Columbia University and the Joseph Massad Case (Homepage), Censoring Thought Ward Churchill: Letters of support from the CU academic community (Homepage), Colorado Communities for Justice and Peace "Behind the Newsweek Retraction," Danny Schechter, News Dissector, May 18, 2005

Comment On This Blog Post  See All Comments (6)

Occupy_iowa_city_rally

Re: Something About Yale's David R. Graeber

By Street, Paul at May 23, 2005 21:33 PM
bwong I think you need to re-read the whole Peterson post here. David is noting the conflict between (a) the content of Graeber's incredibly obscene (really somewhat sick) note to Edward S. Herman (and like I said I trust the sources here) and (b)DG's claims to be in no way outrageous and concerned at the degenerating political climate of the academy. At the very least, Graeber's shameful flame-job (see the comment on "your daughter"...this is not good) suggests that the Yale anthro department (which I know nothing about) might actually have a legitemate "collegiality" issue (and and I tend to be skeptical when academic authorities raise that issue to justify denying good left scholars jobs and tenure) with Dr. Graeber. Want to spend the rest of your working life around someone who responds that way to an intellectual disagreement with (for crying out loud) a fellow leftist? I sure wouldn't. Calling that outburst anything like "understandable" is a little...chilling. DP's point? Maybe in part that what goes around comes around in this world.

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Occupy_iowa_city_rally

Re: Something About Yale's David R. Graeber

By Street, Paul at May 23, 2005 07:01 AM
Since I trust the sources here, let me say this: Gee, Dr. Graeber, write something like that to a great senior left intellectual like Edward S. Herman and it just might come back to haunt you in your hour of academic need. Reasons to resist joining the "let's save DG's Ivy League job" crusade include the following: (1) war and pestilence are raging across a planet where 2 billion humans live on less than a dollar a day and you have to set priorities in terms fo where to focus your energy; (2) be skeptical of self-proclaimed anarchists who are hot and bothered to be lifelong academicians in private ruling-class universities; (3) there are numerous similar stories at less august institutions that never get one iota of publicity (anyone here ever heard the story of how Central Michigan University's History Department unjustly fired the wonderful scholar and teacher Bruce C. Nelson, author of the best book ever written on anarchists and the labor movement in Chicago in the 1880s [the book is titled BEYOND THE MARTYRS.]? I thought not...there's lots more of this below the Ivies); (4) in my experience it's been intellectually and politically liberating to escape academia...they might be doing DG a favor by getting him out though...(5) Graeber says "I don't think it would be all that hard to for me to find another job" [in the academy]. Well gee then he's ok; I'm trying to get a guy with a felony record a job – any kind of livable wage job – in Chicago, ok?

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Person

By Zildus, Evan at May 19, 2005 18:35 PM
as someone who wishes to go into the halls of academia while remaining a leftist, this case does strike me as rather important. i think david's post is helpful and important though. as many people who have been in and around academia know, there is all sorts of drama, backstabbing, intrigue. while joeblog's point is good (the process should have more transparency), david's implicit reference to how almost every professor is unwilling to say overtly negative things, *especially* in print via email or otherwise, points to another possible reason they may want to get rid of graeber. i'm not into firing people for saying swears, but i believe most people that respond so harshly to so little, and who sort of "pull leftist rank" ("People like you defile the left and everything it stands for.") for no reason probably have an unhealthy taste for power. i mean, this guy's an academic? he should be able to read. the point of the article he blasted was obviously not that some "genocides" aren't a big deal, but that all of them are. meandering back to a point, i think the best part of this journal entry was calling attention to other cases of professors in plight. if we want to "keep" freedom in academia, we have to fight the right battles. people are always saying things like, "why are you bringing up race/politics/gender when it's not what's at issue?" while such questions usually pop up erroneously, we don't want to give them merit..

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Person

Re: Something About Yale's David R. Graeber

By Rekouche, Koceilah at May 19, 2005 13:24 PM
Well that letter was very revealing of Graeber's character, and as David pointed out, there are a lot of others in academia who are deserving of our attention. Graeber is getting quite a lot of it. Including an article on ZNet, a petition, etc.

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Person

Re: Something About Yale's David R. Graeber

By Gammon101, Bwong at May 19, 2005 11:02 AM
I am not sure what David's point is. Is he saying that since Graeber disagrees with Hermann's he is not a "true" leftist(do true leftists have to agree on every issue?)and, since he is not a true leftist we should not care even if he was let go because of his political activism? Based on the sources cited we can't be sure why Graeber was fired. It is mere speculation at this point he was dismissed because of his politics. But Joe is right that the lack of transparency of the process should be a concern for its own right. If indeed he was fired because of his political views and activities we should all be outraged. Whether he is a "true" anarchist according to partisians who appoint themselves guardians of the faith is totally irrelevant. I don't think that applies to Hermnann's piece per se, but I can understand Graeber's frustration. Some leftists do sometimes appear to be lacking in humanity by down playing or dismissing atrocities just to be contrarian or in some misguided attempt to "deconstruct" the main stream media.IMO David's take on Darfur is a case in point.

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Person

Re: Something About Yale's David R. Graeber

By Jautter, Mind at May 19, 2005 03:31 AM
"You're free to speak your mind my friend as long as you agree with me.Don't criticize the Fatherland or those who shape your destiny for if you do, you'll lose your job ,your mind, and all the friends you knew.We'll send out all our boys in blue-they'll find a way to silence you." From the song The Ostrich by John Kay & Steppenwolf

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