JOSHUA FRANK: An Interview With Anarchist Scholar David Graeber

Without Cause: Yale Fires An Acclaimed Anarchist Scholar

By Joshua Frank -- World News Trust

David Graeber, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Yale University, and the author of Toward an Anthropological Theory of Value: The False Coin of Our Own Dreams and Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology, among many other scholarly publications. Last spring Prof. Graeber was informed that his teaching contract at Yale would not be extended. 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. Graeber, a renowned anarchist scholar, spoke with me shortly after he was informed of his firing. Last week he gave up the fight to stay at Yale and will be leaving the school after a sabbatical next year. As radical anthropologist David Price put it me, "this is a ghastly look under the hood at how academic knowledge is manufactured at America's 'finest' institutions." --Josh

May 13, 2005

Joshua Frank: Prof. Graeber, can you talk a little bit about the circumstances leading up to Yale's decision not to renew your teaching contract? How much of their decision do you think was based on your political persuasion and activism?

David Graeber: Well, it's impossible to say anything for certain because no official reasons were given for the decision and I'm not allowed to know what was said in the senior faculty meeting where my case was discussed. In fact, if anyone who attended were to tell me what I was accused of, they would themselves be accused of violating "confidentiality" and they would get in trouble, too. But one thing that was repeatedly stressed to me when I was preparing my material for review is that no one is really taking issue with my scholarship. In fact, it was occasionally hinted to me that if anything I publish too much, have received too much international recognition, and had too many enthusiastic letters of support from students. All that might have actually weighed against me. Again, I have no way of knowing if that's really true, because everything is a secret. But I'd be willing to say this much: What happened to me was extremely irregular - almost unheard of, really. It happened despite the fact that I'm one of best published scholars and most popular teachers in the department. Does it have anything to do with the fact that I'm also one of the only declared anarchist scholars in the academy? I'll leave it to your readers to make up their own minds.

JF: If I am not mistaken, you have been up for review at Yale before, correct? What has changed since those reviews were held?

more

http://worldnewstrust.org/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=1853

Would learn what anarchy is and study it more before they shoot off thier mouths about Anarchy.
Instead of REACTING ,be they left or right.
Take a look..

http://www.yelah.net/articles/mutualaid
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/

Really, the people in charge don't want to lose their wealth and power.