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Witness to the BDS loss at the MLA meeting in Phil last weekend
a friend of Prof Jacobson writesAs reported extensively on this site, the Modern Language Association held its annual convention this weekend in Philadelphia. At the meeting a resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions was defeated and a resolution opposing academic boycotts was passed and is now before the general membership. For coverage see here and here. I am an MLA member, and I was there. Unfortunately, for professional reasons, I am not able to write under my own name... The atmosphere was tense. The sessions were highly charged and emotional. Speakers compared each other to the Judenrat and the Spanish Inquisition. People were visibly nervous. For the other 99% of conference attendees, on the other hand, the MLA was business as usual. The bar in the lobby of the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott was constantly packed, the atmosphere was social, festive, and gregarious. In the corridors just outside the rooms where the BDS focused sessions were taking place, you'd be hard pressed to detect that anything other than great fun. It's not clear how many of the estimated 8,000 or so conference attendees even knew, much less cared, about the drama at the Delegate Assembly this weekend. Inside Grand Ballroom GH, where the Delegate Assembly meeting was held, you could feel the tension, but you also couldn't help but notice how empty the room was. article goes on and on... if you have ever been involved in academic or professional orgs this may be interesting Posted by: lord garth 2017-01-09 |
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