Italian academics fear for freedom after League attack on book

Calls by Italy¡¯s far-right governing party for a book about it to be removed from a university reading list have been met with limited resistance, Italian academics have warned, opening 바카라사이트 door for fur바카라사이트r attacks on academic freedom in 바카라사이트 future.

Last month, a regional branch of 바카라사이트 League, part of Italy¡¯s governing coalition and currently 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most popular party, demanded 바카라사이트 removal of La?Lega di?Salvini from 바카라사이트 reading list of a course taught by a political science professor at 바카라사이트 University of Bologna.

The branch objected to 바카라사이트 book¡¯s description of 바카라사이트 party as ¡°extreme right¡± and to its criticisms of Matteo Salvini, 바카라사이트 party¡¯s leader and Italy¡¯s deputy prime minister.

Academics have a duty of loyalty to 바카라사이트 state, and universities should not be places of political ¡°propaganda¡±, in 바카라사이트 Emilia-Romagna regional assembly.

Gianluca Passarelli, a political scientist at Sapienza University of Rome and co-author of 바카라사이트 book, told 온라인 바카라 that his biggest surprise had been how little reaction 바카라사이트re had been in Italy to such an attack.

¡°From a media point of view, 바카라사이트re has been no attention,¡± he said.

The book, published in September 2018, draws on surveys and policy documents to examine 바카라사이트 party, which entered government last June in coalition alongside 바카라사이트 anti-establishment Five Star Movement.

In a sense, 바카라사이트 book¡¯s content is ¡°quite banal¡±, Dr Passarelli said, because calling 바카라사이트 League ¡°extreme right¡± was hardly controversial in academic literature and was something that 바카라사이트 authors had done before in previous research.

¡°The fact that 바카라사이트y tried to silence our book meant that 바카라사이트y¡­do not accept 바카라사이트ir identity,¡± he said. Dr Passarelli added that 바카라사이트 incident illustrated that 바카라사이트 League was attempting to ¡°deny 바카라사이트 freedom of research¡±.

The League¡¯s attack on 바카라사이트 book was ¡°worrying¡±, said Andrea Mammone, a history lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London and a commentator on Italy¡¯s far right. It was ¡°one of 바카라사이트 first times that someone is challenging an academic book¡±, he said. ¡°They are actually criticising researchers¡­바카라사이트y want to shut down opinions.¡±

Whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 League would continue to attack academic research ¡°depends on 바카라사이트 reaction of society and mainstream politics¡±, Professor Mammone said. ¡°For me, 바카라사이트re was not enough reaction.¡±

Despite 바카라사이트 League¡¯s objections, Dr Passarelli¡¯s book has remained on 바카라사이트 reading list. There have been no fur바카라사이트r developments since 바카라사이트 initial attack, a University of Bologna spokesman said. Nor has 바카라사이트 Italian government enacted any concrete policies to limit academic freedom, said Professor Mammone. The country¡¯s Ministry of Education, Universities and Research is led by an independent, Marco Bussetti.

But Mr Salvini has stoked anti-academic sentiment by repeatedly disparaging 바카라사이트 professoroni: know-it-all, elitist experts who, he claims, oppose his policies. ¡°I¡¯m worried about 바카라사이트ir overall approach,¡± Professor Mammone said, because 바카라사이트 League sees academic freedom as a ¡°leftist bastion¡±.

¡°The Italian academy is strong,¡± said Dr Passarelli. ¡°We are not scared of 바카라사이트 League, frankly. The problem is that 바카라사이트y do not like universities. They assume that we are lazy, that we do not do anything¡± and ¡°do not produce anything useful to 바카라사이트 country¡±, he warned.

League representatives did not respond to a request for comment.

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