The latest from higher ed’s war on academic freedom
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CounterCurrent: Three Cancellations You Should Know About
The latest from higher ed’s war on academic freedom
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, bringing you the biggest issues in academia and our responses to them.
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Category: Cancel Culture; Reading Time: ~2 minutes
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** Featured articles - Academic Freedom Round-Up ([link removed])
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Despite the many changes America has seen in the past few months, one thing has remained the same: cancel culture in higher education. The National Association of Scholars began tracking cancellations ([link removed]) in June 2020, and we still learn about multiple new cases per week. Our current count is at 122 and we see no sign of the illiberal cancellation machine slowing down.
I write to you now with the latest updates on some of the cases we are tracking, cases in which the NAS has stepped in to offer direct support:
** Timothy Jackson (University of North Texas) ([link removed])
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Timothy Jackson is a tenured professor of music theory at UNT and oversees the Journal of Schenkerian Studies ([link removed]) , a publication dedicated to the thought and work of music theorist Heinrich Schenker. In July, Professor Jackson faced calls for institutional discipline ([link removed]) , up to and including termination, from UNT colleagues and graduate students, as well as music theorists nationwide. His crime? Defending Schenker against the dubious claim of “systemic racism,” one leveled by Hunter College music theorist Philip Ewell at a recent conference.
Before I put the non-music theorists to sleep, the point is this: Ewell claimed Schenker was a racist, and Jackson disagreed. Then the musicology community came for Jackson’s head, and UNT placed him under investigation. Simple as that. Professor Jackson has now filed a lawsuit ([link removed]) against UNT, as he rightly should, accusing the school of various kinds of misconduct predicated on his denial of Schenker’s supposed racism. NAS has also sent correspondence to three members of UNT leadership, urging them to protect Jackson’s academic freedom and vindicate his personal and professional character. We will continue to keep you posted on the progress of this case.
** Charles Negy (University of Central Florida) ([link removed])
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The case of Charles Negy was one of the first to populate our cancel culture database ([link removed]) , and it’s also one of the most outrageous. Negy, a professor of psychology at UCF, came under fire ([link removed]) in June for some allegedly controversial Tweets, including one that questioned the existence of “systemic racism” (are you sensing a pattern here?). Outraged Twitter users proceeded to create the viral hashtag #UCFfirehim ([link removed]) .
The school then put him through a grueling investigation ([link removed]) (launched the day after this Tweet), one which included a nine-hour interrogation of Professor Negy and over 300 interviews of his colleagues and students stretching back 15 years. In other words, UCF is trying really hard to find some dirt on Negy, and just happened to start looking after his unpopular Tweets. How convenient. Negy’s termination, initially promised by the school to occur on January 25, was briefly delayed thanks to the efforts of Samantha Harris and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) ([link removed]) . However the firing was made official ([link removed]) on Friday, a decision Negy plans to challenge in court.
** Philip Carl Salzman (McGill University) ([link removed])
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Here’s a case that ended on a (relatively) happy note. Philip Carl Salzman is an emeritus professor of anthropology at McGill and a frequent contributor to many publications, including our very own Minding the Campus ([link removed]) . In November, Salzman was canceled ([link removed]) via a student petition, which cited his critiques of multiculturalism, social justice, BLM, systemic racism, and more (some of which were published at MTC). The students demanded, among other things, the revocation of his emeritus status. The NAS published our own counter-petition ([link removed]) in Professor Salzman’s defense, which received over 3,000 signatures. McGill ultimately did the right thing and declined to punish him for exercising his free
speech. Salzman’s career and reputation were still damaged, to be sure, but he has at least retained his title. We’ll take what we can get.
The NAS is hard at work to protect academic freedom wherever and whenever it is threatened. If you know of a cancellation not in our database ([link removed]) , please contact me directly at
[email protected] (mailto:
[email protected]) . Otherwise, hold the line and speak your mind. Higher education depends on it.
Until next week.
David Acevedo
Communications & Research Associate
National Association of Scholars
Read More ([link removed])
For more on cancel culture in higher education:
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January 25, 2021
** A Canceled Music Theorist Fights Back ([link removed])
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David Randall
Professor Timothy Jackson has initiated a lawsuit against the University of North Texas, to seek redress for the harm done to him after his defense of music theorist Heinrich Schenker.
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January 21, 2021
** When Cancel Culture Comes: Resources for Scholars, Administrators, and Students ([link removed])
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NAS
Cancel culture is merciless, and it moves at light speed. If you or someone you know are facing cancellation, click here for downloadable resources ([link removed]) .
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January 20, 2021
** Academic Persecution at UCF ([link removed])
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NAS
The University of Central Florida has announced that it will fire Professor Charles Negy, in what appears to be an ideologically motivated termination predicated on a controversial tweet.
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February 1, 2021
** Tracking "Cancel Culture" in Higher Education ([link removed])
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David Acevedo
UPDATED 2/1/21: A repository of 122 administrators, professors, and students who have been "canceled" for expressing views deemed unacceptable by higher education ideologues.
** About the NAS
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The National Association of Scholars, founded in 1987, emboldens reasoned scholarship and propels civil debate. We’re the leading organization of scholars and citizens committed to higher education as the catalyst of American freedom.
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