[Reader-list] sign the romila thapar petition...urgent

[S Datta]

Hi all,

I was under the impression that this matter was now, for all intents and
purposes, resolved. Many of us got a message similar to this several weeks
ago; a few days later the Library of Congress issued a formal statement
acknowledging both the anti-Romila campaign and what it said was a large
volume of correspondence in defence of her scholarship and in support of
her appointment to the Kluge chair, and saying it stood by its decision
and was honoured to have her at the LOC. So i'm not sure this is still
pertinent, or at any rate, urgent, since there is no danger of the
original petition against Prof Thapar having any real impact.

-S

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On Wed, 14 May 2003, zehra rizvi wrote:

> please see :)
> -z.
> ---
>
> >From: Avishek Ganguly <avishek_ganguly at yahoo.co.in>
> >To: zehra rizvi <fatimazehrarizvi at hotmail.com>
> >Subject: Re: sign the romila thapar petition...urgent
> >Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 15:59:43 +0100 (BST)
> >
> >hi zehra,
> >
> >the sarai list is rejecting postings due to unfathomable (to me) techinal
> >resons...so i thought i will fwd this to you, that is, if you haven't got
> >it already!
> >
> >(may be you can write a brief intro before circulating it further, or, in
> >the worst case, use mine!)
> >thanks
> >avishek
> >______________________________________________________________
> >dear everyone,
> >
> >probably many of you already know about this another, alarming, yet as
> >always mindless, attempt by the hindu rightwing in india to throttle
> >progressive voices, politics and practices in the country. vilification of
> >prominent academics with accusations of being 'marxist', 'unpatritotic'.
> >'anti-hindu' etc is only one of the many dangerous methods this madness can
> >take.
> >
> >i'm forwarding a msg from neeladri bhattacharya, professor of history at
> >jnu, new delhi, regarding the latest hindu right campaign in the usa
> >against the appointment of prof romila thapar, one of the greatest
> >historians of post-independence india, to a recently created prestigious
> >chair at the library of congress in washington dc.
> >a model protest petition follows the letter.
> >you can mail in your name, affiliation and e-mail id to the following
> >address in order to be attched to the petition.
> >
> >thanks,
> >avishek
> >
> >[model letter is below message.  please send the email address, name and
> >institutional affiliation of all those who agree to sign to
> >isha at ndf.vsnl.net.in.]
> >
> >_____________________________________________________________
> >
> >As you may know there is a campaign organized by the Hindu right-wing
> >in USA against the nomination of Professor Romila Thapar to the Kluge
> >Chair at the Library of Congress.
> >I am sending you a letter protesting against this campaign. Could you
> >please mobilize as many signatures as you can and  send me the email
> >address, name and institutional affiliation of all those who agree to
> >sign. The letter should come back to me by Thursday 15 May.We will be
> >sending the protest letter to the Library of Congress and release it to
> >the Indian press..
> >I am sending you two attachments: one gives the details of the campaign
> >that is being organized in America, the second is the letter of protest
> >that is to be signed.
> >For more details on the Hindu right wing campaign against romila's
> >appointment to the Kluge Chair see the web site:
> >http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/Alerts/IDRT300403.html
> >
> >Neeladri
> >_____________________________________________________________
> >
> >We are shocked at the letter of protest that is circulating in on the
> >Internet against the appointment of Professor Romila Thapar as First Holder
> >of the Kluge Chair in Countries and Cultures of the South at the Library of
> >Congress, USA.  Professor Thapar has been undoubtedly one of the most
> >eminent Indian historians, whose prolific scholarly contribution has opened
> >up new ways of looking at India's past.
> >
> >The petition shows an amazing lack of familiarity with Professor Thapar's
> >writings. Since the 1960s Professor Thapar has written powerfully against
> >the colonial stereotypes that India had no past, no sense of time, and no
> >historical consciousness. The petitioners attribute to her precisely those
> >ideas that she has spent a lifetime battling against.
> >
> >But clearly the problem is that Professor Thapar's conception of Indian
> >past is different from that of the petitioners. Professor Thapar has looked
> >at a variety of cultural traditions in the making of ancient India. To the
> >petitioners Indian past is monolithic, unified and unmistakably only Hindu.
> >Those who disagree with this notion are accused of committing cultural
> >genocide.
> >
> >This is a not just a shocking intolerance of perceptual differences. It is
> >a politics that seeks to silence critique, and battles for a notion of the
> >past that is homogeneously Hindu. It is part of a wider attack that we are
> >witnessing in India today against intellectual and artistic freedom, and
> >against cultural plurality. In a political milieu where dissent is being
> >regularly repressed through intimidation, this petition against Professor
> >Thapar and the hate mails that accompany it, become particular cause of
> >concern.
> >
> >We strongly protest against this attack on Professor Thapar.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
> >
> >"In civilizations without boats, dreams dry up, espionage takes the place
> >of adventure, and the police take the place of pirates." - Foucault
> >
> >Catch all the cricket action. Download Yahoo! Score tracker
>
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