*** FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION ***
To the Editor:
The Spectator, now for the second time in less than a year, has
succeeded to quote me in a remarkably decontextualized and inflammatory
manner. In Margaret Hunt Gram's report on the faculty teach-in against
the war in Iraq (3/27/03), I am quoted as wishing for a million
Mogadishus, but with no indication whatsoever of the perspective that
framed that remark. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that your Staff
Editorial in the same issue, denouncing the teach-in for "dogmatism,"
situates me in particular as the premier example of an academic
"launching tirades against anything and everything American."
In my brief presentation, I outlined a long history of U.S. invasions,
wars of conquest, military occupations, and colonization in order to
establish that imperialism and white supremacy have been constitutive of
U.S. nation-state formation and U.S. nationalism. In that context, I
stressed the necessity of repudiating all forms of U.S. patriotism. I
also emphasized that the disproportionate majority of U.S. troops come
from racially subordinated and working-class backgrounds and are in the
military largely as a consequence of a treacherous lack of prospects for
a decent life. Nonetheless, I emphasized that U.S. troops are indeed
confronted with a choice - to perpetrate this war against the Iraqi
people, or to refuse to fight and contribute toward the defeat of the
U.S. war machine.
I also affirmed that Iraqi liberation can only be effected by the Iraqi
people themselves, both by resisting and defeating the U.S. invasion as
well as overthrowing a regime whose brutality was long sustained by none
other than the U.S. Such an anti-colonial struggle for
self-determination might involve a million Mogadishus now, but would
ultimately have to become something more like another Vietnam. Vietnam
was a stunning defeat for U.S. imperialism; as such, it was also a
victory for the cause of human self-determination.
Is this a tirade against "anything and everything American"? Far from
it. First, I hasten to remind you that "American" refers to all of the
Americas, not merely to the United States, as U.S. imperial chauvinism
would have it. More importantly, my rejection of U.S. nationalism is an
appeal to liberate our own political imaginations such that we might
usher in a radically different world in which we will not remain the
prisoners of U.S. global domination.
Sincerely,
Nicholas De Genova
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President Bollinger's Statement on Recent Comments by Assistant
Professor De Genova
I am shocked that someone would make such statements. Because of the
University's tradition of academic freedom, I normally don't comment
about statements made by faculty members. However, this one crosses the
line and I really feel the need to say something. I am especially
saddened for the families of those whose lives are at risk.
Lee C. Bollinger
----
From Newsday
Defeat Troops, Professor Says Wants 'a million Mogadishus'
By Ron Howell STAFF WRITER
March 28, 2003
At an anti-war "teach-in" this week, a Columbia University professor
called for the defeat of American forces in Iraq and said he would like
to see "a million Mogadishus" - a reference to the Somali city where
American soldiers were ambushed, with 18 killed, in 1993.
"The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S.
military," Nicholas De Genova, an assistant professor of anthropology
and Latino studies at Columbia University, told the audience at Low
Library Wednesday night. "I personally would like to see a million
Mogadishus."
De Genova was referring to the Mogadishu ambush and firefight, known for
its graphic image of a slain American soldier being dragged through the
streets. The battle was portrayed in the film "Black Hawk Down."
The crowd was largely silent at De Genova's remark. They loudly
applauded him later when he said, "If we really [believe] that this war
is criminal ... then we have to believe in the victory of the Iraqi
people and the defeat of the U.S. war machine."
At least two of the speakers who followed De Genova distanced themselves
from his comments. One of them was teach-in organizer Eric Foner, a
history professor, who disagreed with De Genova's assertion that
Americans who called themselves "patriots" also were white supremacists.
In a telephone interview yesterday, Foner went further in his criticism,
calling De Genova's statements "idiotic."
"I thought that was completely uncalled for," Foner said. "We do not
desire the deaths of American soldiers."
Foner said that because of the university's tradition of freedom of
speech, it was unlikely De Genova would suffer professionally in any way
because of what he said.
"A person's politics have no impact on their employment status here,
whether they are promoted, whether they are fired or whether they get
tenure," Foner said.
De Genova did not want to discuss yesterday whether he had tenure.
Acknowledging his beliefs are more radical than those of many others at
Wednesday's forum, he said his remarks reflect his concern for oppressed
people. While he did not retract his statements, he said he hoped they
do not lead to "death threats," like those he received after a
controversial speech at a pro-Palestinian rally last spring.
Regarding Wednesday's reference to Mogadishu, the professor, who is 35
and from Chicago, said the U.S. Army is composed largely of men and
women who have a "treacherous lack of prospects for a decent life," but
even so, they "have a choice" in whether to oppress people like the
Iraqis. He said the Iraqis must liberate themselves from domestic
oppressors as well as from foreign invaders like the United States.
More than 3,000 students and faculty attended the Wednesday teach-in,
which lasted from 6 p.m. until about midnight and featured more than two
dozen professors and other scholars.
The applause at De Genova's call for the defeat of U.S.-led forces in
Iraq reflected widespread frustration at the inability to reverse
President George W. Bush's Middle East policies, Foner said.
"A kind of flamboyant statement like that will get an applause in the
heat of the moment," the history professor said.
By turns, the speakers Wednesday night said the Bush administration's
actions in Iraq were bullying, illegal, deceitful, corrupt and
murderous. History professor Barbara J. Fields said like-minded
Americans should vigorously oppose Bush. "The 'good Germans' of the Nazi
era were the few who said, 'No,'" Fields declared.
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