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I was discussing with Mustafa his extremely interesting comment concerning the apparent shift in public opinion, now that the war has started. You might want to read Jurgen Habermas' recently published conferences about cloning, in which he discusses the new "politics" of science, that is: "no need to oppose it because we've done it already". I thought this is also what is happening with the war now, and I believe it is extremely dangerous. Jurgen Habermas, "Die Zukunft der menschlichen natur. Auf dem weg zu einer liberalen eugenik?" (Surhkamp, 2001). Also translated into French in 2002, Gallimard: "L'avenir de la nature humaine: vers un eugenisme liberal?". You might also want to read Baudrillard's paper published in the French newspaper Liberation on Monday, March 10. He argues the "non-event" character of the war. Fyi: English is not my mother tongue, and my non-Anglo-Saxon ego is very flattered to be the event of the day (smiling). Don't you realize that wild assumptions about people are exactly what the US administration is doing right now? Don't we all know how dangerous it is? >From: "Ronald J. Pohoryles" <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: "Ronald J. Pohoryles" <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: AW: to boycott British and American academy? >Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2003 12:38:50 +0200 > >Dear David, > >thank you for a very intelligent and "cool" comment. The heated debate >among social scientists show that they are "human beings"; however, they >should have learned something special: analytical tools to understand and >to use this knowledge particularly in a time of major crises. Some Mannheim >reading could help. > >Yes, you are right: the options are pestilence or cholera. And, of course, >Baruch tries to make social scientists understand how stupid the pathetic >call for a boycott against Israeli academics of some social scientists >were. Of course, a call for a boycott against UK or US academics would be >as stupid as the one against Israelis and Baruch knows that very much. >Using "paradoxical intervention" seems not to always work... > >By the way, some of those who called for a boycott against Israeli >academics tried the same against the Austrian academia in 2000 when the >Austrian right-wing government went into power; ignoring, of course, that >it was particularly the Austrian academia who mobilised major >demonstrations and activities against the new coalition. This might be an >additional proof for your assumption that those calls are basically coming >from acadmics who are part of the hegemonic academic systems. Their >arrogance is best proven by the mail of a Mrs Sara Daynes in which she >finds it worthwile to make fun of people whose mother tongue is not >English: > >"All this is ridiculous (re: warriors & starbucks, in one word not two by >the way, etc)." > >Maybe we should agree to have international science communication in Latin >again - it might make it more difficult for Anglo-Saxonians to show us how >Barbarian we are. > >Best, >Ronald J Pohoryles > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >The Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social >Sciences (IFS-ICCR-CIR) > >Vienna Office: >Schottenfeldgasse 69/1; A-1070 Vienna >Tel: +43.1.524 13 93-111 >Fax: +43.1.524 13 93-200 > >Paris Office: >nouvelle addresse ŕ partir du 15/9/2002: >41, rue Amilcar Cipriani >F-93400 St-Ouen >Téléphone: +33-1-40 12 19 38 > >Email: [log in to unmask] >Internet: www.iccr-international.org > > > >-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- >Von: David May [mailto:[log in to unmask]] >Gesendet: Montag, 31. März 2003 08:52 >An: [log in to unmask] >Betreff: Re: to boycott British and American academy? > > >Dear Members of the list > >Ceterum censo: I might be trespassing through political science territory >rather >than sociology (not being a sociologist by titel anyway). I'll give it a >try >anyway. > >Quoting Dr Mustafa Ozbilgin <[log in to unmask]>: > > In universities, many colleagues are against the war. However, > > there is now a growing discourse that once the war starts it > > should be supported. Could anyone explain the logic of this? If > > you originally believed that a war would be unjust, would it > > become more just when it starts. This defies my logic. > >I very much agree, but that does not help at all. The most obvious possible >outcomes of the war that I can see for the time being, are not at all >desirable. > >First, a quick victory of the US troops and their supporters will >strengthen the >US-unilatrealist-Pax-Americana-faction in the US administration and - from >my >point of view - negatively effect the wolrd order for many years to come. > >Second, an unfinished war with a retreat of US troops because of lack of >public >support will give Sadam Husein such a propaganda victory that this in >itself >will negatively effect at least the middle east for many years to come. > >Third, a long an awfull war with many casualties, without a clear >US-victory >because of an anti-US-guerrilla-war, and without Sadam Husein in a post-war >Irak, will be more to my liking as far as the long term world order is >concerned, but because of all the casualties I cannot hope for that >outcome. > >So, I don't know what to choose: pestilence or cholera. > >By the way, I think Baruch is right in once again pointing out that an >accademic >boycott is counterproductive. Furthermore, what is intersting to observe is >the >fact that nobody dares to call for a boycott against the hegemonic academic >system while some did not hesitate to call for a boycott agaist the less >central >israelian academic system. > >Best wishes >David May > >-- > >-------------------------------------- > >David May >AMID >Academy for Migration Studies in Denmark > >Aalborg University _________________________________________________________________ The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail