Re: [Critical-Realism] FW: bad news from Gary

[Karl Maton <matonianuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

FYI:
I am rather away from email at the moment but have
submitted the fllowing to the website Gary posted:

I am a sociologist of education at the University of
Sydney, originally from the UK, who has been a
visiting fellow at QUT and given lectures there on
more than one occasion.  I read carefully the original
article, several times, and discussed it at length
with a colleague.  We concluded that it was carefully
worded - it did not attack the PhD student, indeed it
went out of its way not to.  Neither did it attack the
university as an institution.  It was, we concluded, a
strident but still carefully worded critique.  In an
age in which universities are worried about 'impact',
in which we are encouraged to become 'public
intellectuals', and in which we are meant to be
leaders of a widened public sphere in which serious
issues are debated fully, rationally and critically,
the decision taken by QUT is shocking.  It is an
attack upon the autonomy of intellectuals, upon the
possibility of a democratic public sphere, upon
freedom of speech.  I am, without exaggeration,
appalled and deeply concerned about the message this
sends out, both to other academics and to students. 
My association with QUT is ended until such time as
the university sees fit to re-engage with the ideas it
is ostensibly a defender of.  

What may get lost in this debacle is the issue of
intellectual autonomy and freedom of speech.  The two
academics concerned are quite rightly worried about
the men involved in the film/PhD, showing their own
selflessness.  But academics and the wider public
should be concerned not only for the disabled being
laughed at, but for the fundamental intellectual
rights that are also being mocked by the
administration of QUT.

Dr Karl Maton
Faculty of Arts
University of Sydney

--- Dave Taylor <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> It seems to me all this righteous indignation should
> also be directed to
> those who can do something about it, as indicated
> with High Importance by
> 'kazzak' on 17/05/2007, i.e. the Australian
> government minister responsible
> for education, Julie Bishop
> [julie.bishop@xxxxxxxxxxx].
> 
> Dave T 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: critical-realism-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
[mailto:critical-realism-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On Behalf Of Mervyn
> Hartwig
> Sent: 11 June 2007 11:04
> To: Continuation of the Spoon Bhaskar List
> Subject: Re: [Critical-Realism] FW: bad news from
> Gary
> 
> Yes, where has the Australian lecturers' union
> (NTEU) been? Haven't heard
> one peep out of it. Is it in control of the Right
> too? A boycott of this
> hillbilly university would be the way to go *if* it
> could be organised. Even
> if you disagree with Gary and John's critique, they
> should have the right to
> make it.
> 
> Mervyn
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "J.A.Toynbee" <J.A.Toynbee@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <critical-realism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 9:46 AM
> Subject: [Critical-Realism] FW: bad news from Gary
> 
> 
> > Here's a link to recent press coverage of Gary and
> John. Also see Karl 
> > Maton's mail below. Mervyn asked about an appeal.
> I don't know about this.
> 
> > Nor do I know whether the Australian lecturers'
> union (National Tertiary 
> > Education Union) is supporting them. I think
> Andy's suggestion of a boycot
> 
> > of QUT is an excellent idea and I'll be raising
> this at my union branch. 
> > Can others do the same in their own
> branches/countries? I'd also suggest 
> > that sending off an email to as many people as
> possible with relevant 
> > documentation and links (Tim's mail of 2 days ago
> does this well I think),
> 
> > and asking them to forward to others would be a
> really useful thing to do.
> 
> > It could include a short letter to be sent to VC
> Coaldrake at QUT. I've 
> > pasted an updated version of the letter I did a
> few weeks ago at the 
> > bottom of this mail. Clearly, what counts in
> action of this sort is 
> > amount - the more people and organisations
> protest, the more pressure is 
> > applied.
> >
> > Jason
> >
> > ________________________________
> 
> 
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> 
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