1/10: While not in favor of ad hominem attacks, I am not sure what collective letters such as the below are supposed to accomplish. We are in a contentious field where emotions run high, critique is abundant, and one needs a thick skin... @WarOnTheRocks warontherocks.com/2021/05/open-l…
2/10: Thankfully, I was not asked to sign this letter - a hypothetical request that would have been difficult to respond to. Personal attacks are unfortunate...
3/10: But solidarity statements such as the above are still surprising - as long as the defendant has not been taken to court, expelled from her/his country of service, put in jail, or suffered some other physical misfortune.
4/10: A member of the German #Bundestag has, in 2014, publicly labeled me an "apologist of #fascism" for being insufficiently critical of Ukrainian #nationalism...
5/10: In contrast, a prominent colleague has publicly asked my former institute's director to fire me for being excessively critical of Ukrainian nationalism...
6/10: That is not counting dozens of accusations of alleged russo- or ukrainophobia, sexual harassment, manipulation, pedophilia, spying and whatnot, by various critics, followers and objects of my research. I may have missed possible appointments because of such campaigns...
7/10: One contract was cut short because of my, within the German context, far too partisan position on #Ukraine. However, it would be embarrassing, if somebody collected some list of signatures in my support because of such instances.
8/10: As long as I am not prosecuted, arrested, deported etc., I would ask friends and colleagues to refrain from composing or signing any letters such as the above - even if they think that a verbal attack, non-appointment, cutting of funds, or firing from a job is unjustified.
9/10: Nobody is happy about ad hominem attacks and even less so about some, therefore, missed professional advancement or research funding. Yet, these mishaps are part of the business we are in, and the heat one should be prepared to take.
10/10: Instead of defending academic freedom, polarizing collective statements, such as the above, in support of colleagues (not seriously threatened) may do more harm to open discourse than the various injustices that many of us experience in our professional life now and then.
@threadreaderapp #unroll @aseeestudies @BASEES @icceesorg @ASN_Org @AAUS_says @DGO_Berlin @junge_dgo @dvpw @dgapev @oegpw @pw_portal @TheAAPSS @FPA_ORG @PolStudiesAssoc @kennaninstitute @AtlanticCouncil @HarrimanInst @DCRES_Harvard @HURI_Harvard @Konflikt_Sicher @TerekMedia
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