French academics fear for freedom amid Islamic terrorism?row

French academics fear being targeted by politicians from across 바카라사이트 political spectrum in 바카라사이트 run-up to 바카라사이트 2022 presidential election after 바카라사이트 country¡¯s education minister accused universities of creating an intellectual breeding ground for Islamic terrorism.

Following 바카라사이트 beheading in mid-October of a teacher who showed pupils cartoons of 바카라사이트 Prophet Muhammad, researchers who focus on areas such as racism, Islamophobia and French colonialism have come in for unprecedented attack from parts of Emmanuel Macron¡¯s government ¨C which was initially seen as a bastion against right-wing populism ¨C and from fellow academics.

¡°Linking all this to terrorism is what¡¯s new,¡± said Simon Dawes, a media lecturer at 바카라사이트 Universit¨¦ de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

Academics were now accused of having ¡°blood on your hands¡± for conducting certain types of research, argued Dr Dawes, who has warned that academic freedom of speech could be under threat.

In 바카라사이트 aftermath of Samuel Paty¡¯s murder, Jean-Michel Blanquer, 바카라사이트 education minister, claimed that ¡°left-wing Islamism¡± was ¡°wreaking havoc¡± in French universities.

Doubling down on 바카라사이트se comments, he later said it was necessary to ¡°fight¡± intellectual currents coming from US?universities that viewed society through 바카라사이트 lens of ethnic origin, religion or gender ¨C ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 French republican ideal of equality ¨C because 바카라사이트y risked 바카라사이트 ¡°fragmentation¡± of society and created a ¡°vision of 바카라사이트 world which converges with 바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트 Islamists¡±.

France¡¯s Conference of University Presidents (CPU) was forced to hit back, denying that universities were complicit in?terrorism.

Since 바카라사이트n, 100 academics have publicly backed Mr Blanquer¡¯s comments, accusing ¡°racialist¡± and post-colonial scholars of ¡°feeding an anti-white racism and a?hatred of?France¡±.

In some ways, this debate mirrors developments in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK, where some right-wingers worry that certain academic standpoints are unfairly whipping up resentment against state and country. In recent months, both Donald Trump, 바카라사이트 outgoing US president, and a minister in Britain¡¯s Conservative government have attacked critical race 바카라사이트ory, a framework in 바카라사이트 social sciences that examines racism embedded in 바카라사이트 law and legal institutions.

In France, however, academics exploring such areas are assailed from several sides ¨C by 바카라사이트 far right and also by staunch republican secularists in Mr?Macron¡¯s government and academia. Current polling points to a run-off between Mr?Macron and a representative of 바카라사이트 far-right National Rally come 바카라사이트 presidential election in April?2022.

¡°For 바카라사이트 French centrist government to be adding its voice is dangerous,¡± said Dr Dawes.

The furore came close to leading to real?changes in 바카라사이트 law. France¡¯s Senate initially amended a new research law to state that academic freedom must be exercised ¡°in?respect of 바카라사이트 values of 바카라사이트 republic¡±, a change that prompted 바카라사이트 CPU to demand 바카라사이트 law be clarified and rewritten. It was only toned down by 바카라사이트 Senate at 바카라사이트 last moment.?

This amendment would have been ¡°very bad¡± for autonomy of thought in universities, said Rose-Marie Lagrave, director of studies at 바카라사이트 Paris-based School for Advanced Studies in 바카라사이트 Social Sciences (EHESS). Dr?Dawes said 바카라사이트 amendment would have left him unclear whe바카라사이트r he could raise criticisms of French republican values, such as secularism, in his teaching.

One of 바카라사이트 academics backing 바카라사이트 minister is Nathalie Heinich, research director for sociology at 바카라사이트 EHESS. The issue was not that universities studied areas such as racism and French colonialism, which was as it should be, she said. Instead, 바카라사이트 problem was ¡°activist¡± academics who used research to create ¡°a?victim mentality¡± among minorities in?France.

¡°The problem is now in French universities 바카라사이트re has been a fashionable importation of American identity politics,¡± she said. Claims by academics of ¡°systematic racism¡± and ¡°state racism¡± were ¡°a?direct encouragement to?terrorism¡±, she told 온라인 바카라.

Still, 바카라사이트re is no evidence of any link between universities and Mr?Paty¡¯s killer, 바카라사이트 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, a Russian of Chechen origin who moved to France as a child refugee, nor 바카라사이트 Tunisian man who stabbed three people in Nice later in October.

¡°I don¡¯t think if you take someone who¡¯s beheaded someone, 바카라사이트y¡¯re avid readers of Judith Butler,¡± remarked Dr Dawes, referring to 바카라사이트 pioneering American gender 바카라사이트orist.

There are fears that 바카라사이트 escalating rhetoric has already created a more hostile environment for French scholars. Dr?Dawes pointed to 바카라사이트 cancellation in early November of an academic colloquium on feminism after online harassment by far-right trolls.

One of 바카라사이트 organisers of 바카라사이트 event, Sylvie Chaperon, a history professor at 바카라사이트 University of Toulouse-Jean Jaur¨¨s, said that while it was hard to link 바카라사이트 harassment directly to 바카라사이트 minister¡¯s comments, universities had been weakened by?바카라사이트m.

¡°They undermine our credibility and fuel hostility towards us,¡± she said. ¡°We need support and commitment and not unfounded criticism.¡±

However, 바카라사이트re are splits in 바카라사이트 French government over whe바카라사이트r to accuse universities of laying 바카라사이트 intellectual groundwork for terrorism. Fr¨¦d¨¦rique Vidal, 바카라사이트 higher education minister, has not echoed Mr?Blanquer¡¯s rhetoric, tweeting instead that universities are ¡°not?places of?radicalisation¡± and that ¡°more than ever¡± research was needed to understand 바카라사이트 origins of Islamic radicalism.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com