The Ward Churchill Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Ward Churchill Report COLORADO CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS REPORT ON THE TERMINATION OF WARD CHURCHILL November 1, 2011 This report is issued by the Colorado Committee to Protect Faculty Rights (CCPFR), a standing committee of the Colorado Conference of the AAUP. The CCPFR is part of the Colorado Conference and is not affiliated with Committee A of the national AAUP. Don Eron Suzanne Hudson Myron Hulen Colorado Conference of the AAUP Report on the Dismissal of Ward Churchill Table of Contents I. Executive Summary 6 II. Table of Names, Acronyms, and Organizations 11 III. Introduction 14 A. The Basis of the Colorado Conference‘s Investigation 15 IV. Churchill‘s Early Careers 17 A. Churchill‘s Indian Heritage and Service in Vietnam 17 B. The Roots of Radicalism 17 C. An Activist and Prolific Writer 18 V. Churchill‘s Career at the University of Colorado, Boulder—Before the Firestorm 20 A. The Activist as Scholar and Educator 20 B. Staff, Administrator, Lecturer: 1978-1991 20 C. An Indian Hire? 21 D. The AIM Split and ―Fake Indians‖ 23 E. Another Promotion: Full Professor 25 VI. ―Some People Push Back‖ – 9/12/2001 27 VII. The Firestorm—2005 30 A. Public and Political Pressure on the University 30 B. CU Regents Join the Fray 32 VIII. Faculty Support for Churchill 37 IX. The Process for Terminating Ward Churchill 39 A. Chancellor‘s Subcommittee on Churchill‘s First Amendment Rights 39 B. Standing Committee on Research Misconduct (SCRM) 42 C. SCRM Subcommittee: The Investigative Committee (IC) 42 1. Appropriate Research Expertise 42 2. An Unbiased Investigation 45 3. 120 Calendar Days 46 4. Established Standards 46 5. Nonadversarial Proceedings 48 -2- Colorado Conference of the AAUP Report on the Dismissal of Ward Churchill D. The IC‘s Recommendation to SCRM 50 E. SCRM‘s Recommendation to the Chancellor 51 F. Allegations of the IC‘s Research Misconduct 52 G. Churchill‘s Appeal to the Privilege and Tenure Committee (P&T) 53 H. P&T‘s Recommendation to the President 55 I. The President‘s Recommendation to the Board of Regents 55 J. Board of Regents Vote to Terminate Churchill 55 X. Churchill Sues the Board of Regents 57 XII. Epilogue 58 XIII. Analysis of Charges against Ward Churchill 59 A. Introduction 59 1. If He Was Guilty, Who Cares that the Investigation Was Improper? 59 2. But What If Churchill Wasn‘t Guilty? 59 3. A Brief Overview of the IC‘s Method for Assessing Churchill‘s Guilt 60 B. Allegation A: Alleged Fabrications Regarding General Allotment Act of 1887 62 1. The Allegation 62 2. The IC‘s Findings 62 3. Our Analysis 63 a. Falsifying Evidence: The General Allotment Act 63 b. Falsifying Evidence: Janet McDonnell 's Book 64 c. Embellishing Facts and Details of the General Allotment Act 65 d. Citation of the Robbins and Jaimes Essays 67 e. Churchill‘s Refusal to Back Down 69 C. Allegation B: Misrepresentation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 71 1. The Allegation 71 2. The IC‘s Findings 72 3. Our Analysis 72 a. It‘s Not Literally in the Act, Redux 72 -3- Colorado Conference of the AAUP Report on the Dismissal of Ward Churchill b. Misrepresentation and Distortion of Sources 74 c. It‘s Academic Misconduct Not to Debate LaVelle? 75 D. Allegation C: Captain John Smith and Smallpox in New England, 1614-1618 76 1. The Allegation 76 2. The IC‘s Findings 76 3. Our Analysis 76 a. Churchill‘s Use of Salisbury 76 b. Evidence That the Disease Was Smallpox 77 c. The Incubation Period of Smallpox 78 d. Circumstantial Evidence 79 e. Methodology 81 E. Allegation D: Misrepresentation of Smallpox Epidemic at Fort Clark and Beyond, 1837-1840 83 1. The Allegation 83 2. The IC‘s Findings 83 3. Our Analysis 84 a. Not His Primary Example 85 b. Clash of Methodologies 85 c. Exoneration (After Twenty-nine Pages of Condemnation) 86 d. Respect for Oral Traditions 87 e. Books without Page Numbers, Redux 88 f. The Source of the Smallpox Epidemic of 1837 88 g. Army Doctors and Post Surgeons 88 h. Scatter! 89 i. Withholding the Vaccine 90 j. A Dispute over the Number Killed 91 k. Convicted of Future Misconduct 92 F. The IC‘s Allegations of Plagiarism 93 G. Allegation E: Plagiarism of a Pamphlet by the Dam the Dams Group 94 1. The Allegation 94 2. The IC‘s Findings 94 3. Our Analysis 94 a. Sufficient Credit for Dam the Dams 94 -4- Colorado Conference of the AAUP Report on the Dismissal of Ward Churchill b. Adherence to Scholarly Conventions 96 c. Plagiarism and the "Moral Indignation" Factor 98 H. Allegation F: Plagiarism of a Paper by Professor Rebecca Robbins 100 1. The Allegation 100 2. The IC‘s Findings 100 3. Our Analysis 100 a. Churchill Wrote the Robbins Essay (So It Couldn't Have Been Plagiarism) 100 b. Well, Maybe It's Not Plagiarism, But We Have to Find Him Guilty of Something 101 c. Credit Where Credit Is Due 101 d. Creating the False Appearance of Support 102 e. The Exclusive Domain of Knowledge 104 I. Allegation G: Plagiarism of Work by Professor Fay G. Cohen 106 1. The Allegation 106 2. The IC‘s Findings 106 3. Our Analysis 106 a. Cohen‘s Essay Was Definitely Plagiarized 106 b. But Is Churchill the One Who Plagiarized Cohen? 108 c. Well, Maybe It‘s Not Plagiarism, But We Have to Find Him Guilty of Something, Redux 112 XIV. Violations of AAUP Standards 114 A. Violation of Committee A Statement on Extramural Utterances 114 B. Violations of the 1958 Statement on Procedural Standards in Faculty Dismissal Proceedings 115 XV. Conclusion 120 XVI. Endnotes 123 -5- Colorado Conference of the AAUP Report on the Dismissal of Ward Churchill Executive Summary Ward Churchill was dismissed from the University of Colorado (CU) in 2007, having been convicted of plagiarism as well as fabrication and falsification of evidence for his claims that the United States government had been complicit in the genocide of Native Americans. It was Churchill‘s essay of September 12, 2001, that drew attention to him— an essay that called victims of the attack on the World Trade Center ―little Eichmanns.‖ For four years the essay, titled ―Some People Push Back,‖ went unnoticed, but in 2005 it caught the attention of faculty and administrators at Hamilton College in New York, and from there it went viral, becoming the topic of nonstop media commentary that lasted for months. Beginning in February 2005, a firestorm of public opinion raged. Politicians, media commentators, and citizens clamored for Churchill‘s dismissal from the University, threatening to withhold both state funds and private donations. Realizing that Churchill‘s right to express an opinion was protected by the First Amendment and that therefore they could not dismiss him for publishing what they felt to be a vile remark about innocent Americans, the University sought other reasons to dismiss Churchill. During his employment at CU, Churchill had published more and won more recognition for his scholarship, teaching, and service than, perhaps, any other member of the faculty. He had also become a controversial figure in the field of American Indian Studies— incurring both the admiration and the wrath of other Indian activists and scholars. One antagonist—John LaVelle—had complained to CU officials about some of Churchill‘s scholarly claims several years earlier, but his concerns had been dismissed as not worth pursuing. But now that the University needed to find a means to fire Churchill, it sought LaVelle‘s help in constructing a case against him for research misconduct. Several charges were lodged against Churchill for falsification and fabrication of evidence as well as plagiarism. It is obvious that the University would never have begun its investigation of Ward Churchill were it not for his ―little Eichmanns‖ comment, which he made as a citizen, not as a scholar or as a representative of the University. It is also obvious that dismissing Churchill from his position as a professor at the University violated his First Amendment rights. Most U.S. citizens will agree that what keeps America vital are the freedoms enjoyed by its citizens, foremost of which is speech. Without free speech, the U.S. is just another totalitarian state. This is why citizens must jealously guard the rights of their fellow citizens to express opinions, even opinions with which they disagree or that anger them. If Churchill is not allowed to speak freely, none of us are. In its prosecution of Churchill, the University violated many of its own rules as well as the most basic principles of academic freedom it purports to uphold. The following is from the University of Colorado‘s own highest laws: -6- Colorado Conference of the AAUP Report on the Dismissal of Ward Churchill Faculty members can meet their responsibilities only when they have confidence that their work will be judged on its merits alone. For this reason the appointment, reappointment, promotion, and tenure of faculty members should be based primarily on the individual's ability in teaching, research/creative work, and service and should not be influenced by such extrinsic considerations as political, social, or religious views, or views concerning departmental or university operation or administration. A disciplinary action against a faculty member, including dismissal for cause of faculty, should not be influenced by such extrinsic consideration. (Laws of the Regents V.D.2.b.) There is no doubt that Churchill‘s dismissal was influenced by an extrinsic consideration—his political views. Following are other violations of CU‘s own rules for guaranteeing Churchill a right to a fair hearing: The University convened an Investigative Committee (IC) that contained no experts in the field of American Indian Studies.
Recommended publications
  • Academic Freedom” Adria Battaglia
    Back to Volume Five Contents Opportunities of Our Own Making: The Struggle for “Academic Freedom” Adria Battaglia Abstract This essay examines David Horowitz’s “Academic Freedom” campaign, specifically exploring how “academic freedom,” a narrative that appears alongside “free speech” discourse frequently since September 11, 2001, can be understood as a site of struggle, a privileged label that grants legitimacy to those controlling it. This analysis includes public debates, interviews, and blog postings spanning the 2003 launch of Horowitz’s campaign, discussions of the proposed legislation in 2007, and his publication in 2009 of One-Party Classroom. By exposing the various ways Horowitz’s campaign is framed in the media by interested parties, I demonstrate how the link between “academic freedom” and “free speech” becomes a rhetorical strategy by which we can gain political and economic legitimacy. A recent Harvard study indicates that many young people have yet to become involved in politics not because they are uninterested, but because they have yet to be given the opportunity. —“The 15th Biannual Youth Survey on Politics and Public Service,” Institute of Politics at Harvard University, 2008 On March 4, 2010, young people were given an opportunity. After months of organizing, “hundreds of thousands took part in what was the largest day of coordinated student protest in years.” 1 College and university campuses across the United States became sites of marches, strikes, teach-ins, and walkouts. The “Day of Action” was organized by the California Coordinating Committee in the hopes of AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom 2 Volume Five becoming “an historic turning point in the struggle against the cuts, layoffs, fee hikes, and the re-segregation of public education.”2 Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman describes the scenes across the nation: At the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, police used pepper spray to break up a student protest organized by Students for a Democratic Society.
    [Show full text]
  • PDF Download Survival Schools : the American Indian Movement And
    SURVIVAL SCHOOLS : THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION IN THE TWIN CITIES PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Julie L. Davis | 336 pages | 30 Jun 2013 | University of Minnesota Press | 9780816674299 | English | Minnesota, United States Survival Schools : The American Indian Movement and Community Education in the Twin Cities PDF Book To aid victims of police abuse, they formed the AIM Patrol. Minnesota Archive Editions uses digital technology to Salt, Lynn, and David Mueller. Dennis Banks and Clyde Bellecourt are nominated as leaders. Sign in. Doxtator and Renee J. Boston: Beacon Press, Skip to main content. Email address for updates. Joseph Genetin-Pilawa. Search for:. Upending the assumption that Jimmie Durham, James Luna, Regarding the former, Davis does an excellent job of first tracing the histories of the Twin Cities Indian community and aim , and then showing how the difficulties native students experienced in the public schools and the antagonistic nature of the child welfare system brought the two groups together. Paul, Banks and Means are tried for conspiracy and assault related to Wounded Knee. One aspect of this is knowledge of the law. Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California, and South Dakota also have such schools. Monitor Movie Guide. Download all slides. Within its first year, outside evaluators of Heart of the Earth began to realize that some Indian children progressed faster in an all-Indian environment. Related Video. Survival Schools : The American Indian Movement and Community Education in the Twin Cities Writer The traditional Lakota people on the Pine Ridge Reservation were being terrorized by white vigilantes and supporters of tribal president Dick Wilson.
    [Show full text]
  • The Indian Revolutionaries. the American Indian Movement in the 1960S and 1970S
    5 7 Radosław Misiarz DOI: 10 .15290/bth .2017 .15 .11 Northeastern Illinois University The Indian Revolutionaries. The American Indian Movement in the 1960s and 1970s The Red Power movement1 that arose in the 1960s and continued to the late 1970s may be perceived as the second wave of modern pan-Indianism 2. It differed in character from the previous phase of the modern pan-Indian crusade3 in terms of massive support, since the movement, in addition to mobilizing numerous groups of urban Native Americans hailing from different tribal backgrounds, brought about the resurgence of Indian ethnic identity and Indian cultural renewal as well .4 Under its umbrella, there emerged many native organizations devoted to address- ing the still unsolved “Indian question ”. The most important among them were the 1 The Red Power movement was part of a broader struggle against racial discrimination, the so- called Civil Rights Movement that began to crystalize in the early 1950s . Although mostly linked to the African-American fight for civil liberties, the Civil Rights Movement also encompassed other racial and ethnic minorities including Native Americans . See F . E . Hoxie, This Indian Country: American Indian Activists and the Place They Made, New York 2012, pp . 363–380 . 2 It should be noted that there is no precise definition of pan-Indianism among scholars . Stephen Cornell, for instance, defines pan-Indianism in terms of cultural awakening, as some kind of new Indian consciousness manifested itself in “a set of symbols and activities, often derived from plains cultures ”. S . Cornell, The Return of the Native: American Indian Political Resurgence, New York 1988, p .
    [Show full text]
  • The Performativity of Indigenous Protest: Vernon Bellecourt and the First Encounters Exhibition
    University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations April 2020 The Performativity of Indigenous Protest: Vernon Bellecourt and the First Encounters Exhibition Robert Olive Little Jackson University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the History Commons, Indigenous Studies Commons, and the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Little Jackson, Robert Olive, "The Performativity of Indigenous Protest: Vernon Bellecourt and the First Encounters Exhibition" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 2547. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2547 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE PERFORMATIVITY OF INDIGENOUS PROTEST: VERNON BELLECOURT AND THE FIRST ENCOUNTERS EXHIBITION by Robert Olive Little Jackson A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Art History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee May 2020 ABSTRACT THE PERFORMATIVITY OF INDIGENOUS PROTEST: VERNON BELLECOURT AND THE FIRST ENCOUNTERS EXHIBITION by Robert Olive Little Jackson The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2020 Under the Supervision of Professors Jennifer Johung and David Pacifico At the Science Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota, Vernon Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement came to protest the arrival of the First Encounters: Spanish Explorations in the Caribbean and the United States: 1492-1570. To Bellecourt, the false narrative of Indigenous peoples represented the reality of the Columbus narrative that all indigenous peoples suffer from today.
    [Show full text]
  • Outline of United States Federal Indian Law and Policy
    Outline of United States federal Indian law and policy The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to United States federal Indian law and policy: Federal Indian policy – establishes the relationship between the United States Government and the Indian Tribes within its borders. The Constitution gives the federal government primary responsibility for dealing with tribes. Law and U.S. public policy related to Native Americans have evolved continuously since the founding of the United States. David R. Wrone argues that the failure of the treaty system was because of the inability of an individualistic, democratic society to recognize group rights or the value of an organic, corporatist culture represented by the tribes.[1] U.S. Supreme Court cases List of United States Supreme Court cases involving Indian tribes Citizenship Adoption Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield, 490 U.S. 30 (1989) Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, 530 U.S. _ (2013) Tribal Ex parte Joins, 191 U.S. 93 (1903) Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez, 436 U.S. 49 (1978) Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield, 490 U.S. 30 (1989) South Dakota v. Bourland, 508 U.S. 679 (1993) Civil rights Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe, 435 U.S. 191 (1978) United States v. Wheeler, 435 U.S. 313 (1978) Congressional authority Ex parte Joins, 191 U.S. 93 (1903) White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, 448 U.S. 136 (1980) California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, 480 U.S. 202 (1987) South Dakota v. Bourland, 508 U.S. 679 (1993) United States v.
    [Show full text]
  • The American Indian Movement, the Trail of Broken Treaties, and the Politics of Media
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations, Theses, & Student Research, Department of History History, Department of 7-2009 Framing Red Power: The American Indian Movement, the Trail of Broken Treaties, and the Politics of Media Jason A. Heppler Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/historydiss Part of the History Commons Heppler, Jason A., "Framing Red Power: The American Indian Movement, the Trail of Broken Treaties, and the Politics of Media" (2009). Dissertations, Theses, & Student Research, Department of History. 21. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/historydiss/21 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, & Student Research, Department of History by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. FRAMING RED POWER: THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT, THE TRAIL OF BROKEN TREATIES, AND THE POLITICS OF MEDIA By Jason A. Heppler A Thesis Presented to the Faculty The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Major: History Under the Supervision of Professor John R. Wunder Lincoln, Nebraska July 2009 2 FRAMING RED POWER: THE AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT, THE TRAIL OF BROKEN TREATIES, AND THE POLITICS OF MEDIA Jason A. Heppler, M.A. University of Nebraska, 2009 Adviser: John R. Wunder This study explores the relationship between the American Indian Movement (AIM), national newspaper and television media, and the Trail of Broken Treaties caravan in November 1972 and the way media framed, or interpreted, AIM's motivations and objectives.
    [Show full text]
  • From a Native
    From a Native Son Selected Essays in Indigenism, 1985–1995, Second Edition Ward Churchill • Introduction by Howard Zinn From a Native Son was the first volume of acclaimed American Indian Movement activist-intellectual Ward Churchill’s essays in indigenism, selected from material written during the decade 1985–1995. Presented here in a new revised edition that includes four additional pieces, three of them previously unpublished, the book illuminates Churchill’s early development of the themes with which he has, in the words of Noam Chomsky, “carved out a special place for himself in de- fending the rights of oppressed people, and exposing the dark side of past and current history, often forgotten, marginalized, or suppressed.” Topics addressed include the European conquest and colonization of the Americas, including the genocidal record of Christopher Columbus, the sys- tematic “clearing” and resettlement of American Indian territories by the United States and its antecedents, academic subterfuges designed to deny or disguise the extent of Indian land rights, radioactive contamination of Indian reservations by energy corporations, government-sponsored death squads used to “neutral- ize” the native struggle on the Pine Ridge Reservation during the mid-1970s, the ongoing dehumanization of American Indians in literature, cinema, and by SUBJECT CATEGORY their portrayal as sports team mascots, issues of Indian identity and the expro- History-U.S./Native American Studies priation of indigenous spiritual traditions, the negative effects of “postmodern- ism” upon understandings of contemporary circumstances of native people, PRICE the false promise of marxism in terms of indigenous liberation, and what, from $24.95 an indigenist standpoint, the genuine decolonization of North America might look like.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Cointelpro 101 and Speaker Panel
    Laura Whitehorn Harold Taylor Claude Marks Ward Churchill is a former member of the is a former member of the is the Executive Director is a former professor and Weather Underground and Black Panther Party and and Founder of the Free- chair of the Department of SDS and is a former political the San Francisco 8 and is a dom Archives and a former Ethnic Studies at the Uni- prisoner. She is currently a torture survivor and former political prisoner. versity of Colorado. He is senior editor at POZ Maga- political prisoner. a Native American activist zine. In 2010, she edited and author of numerous The War Before: The Collected texts, including Agents of Works of Safiya Bukhari. Repression: The FBI’s Secret Wars Against the Black Pan- ther Party and the American Indian Movement and A Lit- tle Matter of Genocide. FRIDAY • April 1 SATURDAY • April 2 Dauer Hall 215, UF Campus Alachua County Downtown Library 9:30 AM: UF Social Justice Roundtable Headquarters, 401 East University Avenue, with Claude Marks, Laura Whitehorn, Gainesville, Florida Harold Taylor, and Ward Churchill 12 PM: Screening of Cointelpro 101 and Speaker Panel FRIDAY • April 1 Civic Media Center, 433 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 12 PM: Brown Bag Screening of Cointelpro 101 snacks & coffee provided, but feel free to bring a lunch For more information visit www.english.ufl.edu Free and Open to the Public • Sponsored by the Depart- 1:30 PM: Claude Marks ment of English • Cosponsored by Alachua County Li- 2:15 PM: Harold Taylor brary District, Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, International Socialist Organization 3 PM: Laura Whitehorn 4:15 PM: Ward Churchill 10th Annual American Studies Symposium.
    [Show full text]
  • Anishinaabeg Today Was Health Staff Had the Sent to the Printer Before Honor of Meeting Viktor
    AAnniisshhiinnaaaabbeegg TTooddaayy A Monthly Chronicle of White Earth Reservation Vol. 24 No. 6 White Earth, Minn. [email protected] Wednesday, June 5, 2019 WERBC holds public meeting on Peter Thompson proposed transfer of lands held in Arlington National Cemetery welcomes WE Veteran trust by the United States for MCT By Kevin Wallevand Forum Communications The White Earth Band of Chippewa held a public meeting May 20 at Shooting Star Casino on the proposed transfer of all right, title, It’s an incredible, historic military honor for a and interest in lands held in trust by the United States for the White Earth family. Minnesota Chippewa Tribe. Peter Thompson, a decorated Vietnam War veter - Recently, the Tribal Executive Committee of the MCT decided an and member of the White Earth Nation, will soon that “Band ownership, in fee simple, of trust lands within the reser - be buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery vations of the constituent Bands will both eliminate uncertainty — a first for the tribe. associated with ownership and enable the fulfillment of treaty The White Earth Veterans Association Honor promises premised on reservations for the use and benefit of the Guard and the veteran’s family plan to take a bus for Bands.” Thompson’s June 5 burial at the hallowed veteran’s To achieve that goal a Bill has been drafted that provides that cemetery directly across the Potomac River from the “IN GENERAL . all right, title, and interest in lands held in trust nation’s capital. by the United States for the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe on the date On May 8, the honor guard led a special blessing of the enactment of this Act are hereby transferred as follows: (1) for Thompson, who passed away in January.
    [Show full text]
  • Review of Ward Churchill, a Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present
    CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture ISSN 1481-4374 Purdue University Press ©Purdue University Volume 1 (1999) Issue 1 Article 5 Review of Ward Churchill, A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present A. Claire Brandabur Yarmouk University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb Part of the Comparative Literature Commons, and the Critical and Cultural Studies Commons Dedicated to the dissemination of scholarly and professional information, Purdue University Press selects, develops, and distributes quality resources in several key subject areas for which its parent university is famous, including business, technology, health, veterinary medicine, and other selected disciplines in the humanities and sciences. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, the peer-reviewed, full-text, and open-access learned journal in the humanities and social sciences, publishes new scholarship following tenets of the discipline of comparative literature and the field of cultural studies designated as "comparative cultural studies." Publications in the journal are indexed in the Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature (Chadwyck-Healey), the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (Thomson Reuters ISI), the Humanities Index (Wilson), Humanities International Complete (EBSCO), the International Bibliography of the Modern Language Association of America, and Scopus (Elsevier). The journal is affiliated with the Purdue University Press monograph series of Books in Comparative Cultural Studies. Contact: <[email protected]> Recommended Citation Brandabur, A. Claire. "Review of Ward Churchill, A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present." CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 1.1 (1999): <https://doi.org/10.7771/ 1481-4374.1004> This text has been double-blind peer reviewed by 2+1 experts in the field.
    [Show full text]
  • The Plagiarism Charges Against Ward Churchill
    The Plagiarism Charges Against Ward Churchill Tom Mayer Department of Sociology University of Colorado at Boulder The research misconduct charges against Ward Churchill are of two general kinds: charges of faulty research and charges of plagiarism. The faulty research accusations have been largely discredited through the efforts of professors Eric Cheyfitz, Michael Yellow Bird, David Stannard, Huanani-Kay Trask, James Craven, Ruth Hsu, and others. These independent scholars, all of whom are intimately familiar with Native American history and culture, have shown that the Report of the Investigative Committee (henceforth called Report) finding Churchill guilty of research misconduct contains numerous errors of omission and commission. The Report improperly converts legitimate scholarly controversies into indictments of the positions taken by Professor Churchill. In this essay I will argue that the three plagiarism charges discussed in the Report are also without compelling force. Significantly, all these charges pertain to Churchill’s work as an intellectual within the broad but fractured movement to emancipate indigenous people. None of the papers accused of plagiarism were written for the purpose of building an academic career. This is important because the norms of authorship within the social movement context differ substantially from those within the academic domain. All three plagiarism charges refer to publications that are now fourteen or more years old. Although various persons hostile to Professor Churchill (e.g. John LaVelle, see section two below) have circulated rumors of misconduct for at least a decade, no action was taken against Churchill until he became a political pariah (through the exercise of free speech). On the contrary, prior to his persecution for lack of mandatory patriotism, Churchill was honored as a valuable member of the University of Colorado faculty.
    [Show full text]
  • Parsing the Plagiary Scandals in History and Law
    The University of New Hampshire Law Review Volume 5 Number 3 Pierce Law Review Article 3 June 2009 Parsing the Plagiary Scandals in History and Law Arthur Austin Case Western Reserve University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/unh_lr Part of the Higher Education Commons, History Commons, Other Communication Commons, and the Other Rhetoric and Composition Commons Repository Citation Arthur Austin, Parsing the Plagiary Scandals in History and Law, 5 Pierce L. Rev. 367 (2007), available at http://scholars.unh.edu/unh_lr/vol5/iss3/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of New Hampshire – Franklin Pierce School of Law at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The University of New Hampshire Law Review by an authorized editor of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Parsing the Plagiary Scandals in History and Law ARTHUR AUSTIN ∗ I. INTRODUCTION In 2002 the history of History was scandal. The narrative started when a Pulitzer Prize winning professor was caught foisting bogus Vietnam War exploits as background for classroom discussion.1 His fantasy lapse pref- aced a more serious irregularity—the author of the Bancroft Prize book award was accused of falsifying key research documents.2 The award was rescinded. The year reached a crescendo with two plagiarism cases “that shook the history profession to its core.”3 Stephen Ambrose and Doris Kearns Goodwin were “crossover” celeb- rities: esteemed academics—Pulitzer winners—with careers embellished by a public intellectual reputation.
    [Show full text]