[INDOLOGY] Indologist at Center of Sexual Harassment Mess at Berkeley

Thu Oct 6 13:07:53 UTC 2016

I find Audrey's post to be perfectly appropriate and certainly within the bounds of the decorum of the list. She brought the issue to our attention without sensationalizing or going beyond the facts. If this issue comes up in the future, I think her post can serve as a model of how to alert the community to this issue.
I really think we can move on now.
-j

Joseph Walser

Associate Professor

Department of Religion

Tufts University

________________________________
From: INDOLOGY [indology-bounces at list.indology.info] on behalf of audrey.truschke at gmail.com [audrey.truschke at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2016 6:38 AM
To: Paolo Eugenio Rosati
Cc: Indology
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Indologist at Center of Sexual Harassment Mess at Berkeley

Sexual harassment deeply affects scholarship, and it is a problem in Indology.

All three women harassed by Wentworth have publicly expressed that these events have negatively impacted their studies. One has discontinued her studies. So, these events are shaping the scholarship that we all read and share on this list by driving away future colleagues.

Sexual harassment is a significant problem in our discipline, my friends. It's not just a general problem in the academy and the world -- it is our problem. I would encourage the men, and they are all men, who cannot handle this thread to halt the avoidance tactics and instead focus on what they can do to tackle this substantial problem.

Audrey Truschke
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark
http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/audrey-truschke

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Religious Studies
Stanford University
www.stanford.edu/~truschke<http://www.stanford.edu/~truschke>

On Oct 6, 2016, at 5:09 AM, Paolo Eugenio Rosati <paoloe.rosati at gmail.com<mailto:paoloe.rosati at gmail.com>> wrote:

And then, there are people reluctant to say their opinion, because it is very well-know what's the general flock's opinion about sexist behaviours as much as it's well-known that this kind of misbehaviours are rooted in every stratum of society.

Sincerely,
Paolo

On 6 October 2016 at 10:07, Paolo Magnone <paolo.magnone at unicatt.it<mailto:paolo.magnone at unicatt.it>> wrote:
Dear Walter,

Of course, you are unquestionably right. But you will never win. There are so many people, in this list as in the world at large, eager to flock together under the banners of political correctness, gender solidarity and what not. On the other hand, most people who share you views will not speak up, lest they should imperil their popularity. So, the more vocal majority shall have their way, no matter how utterly meaningless it may be to discuss the merely *factual* behaviour of Caitra, Maitra or Viṣṇuyaśas (as contrasted with discussing general *principle* questions touching on Indology, like censorship in India etc.) in an indological list.

Paolo Magnone

--
Paolo Magnone
Sanskrit Language and Literature
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart - Milan
History of Religions - Hinduism & Buddhism
Theological Faculty of Northern Italy - Milan

Jambudvipa  - Indology and Sanskrit Studies (www.jambudvipa.net<http://www.jambudvipa.net>)
Academia.edu<http://Academia.edu>: http://unicatt.academia.edu/PaoloMagnone

On 06/10/2016 08:19, Walter Slaje wrote:
Might I draw the gentle readership’s attention to the purpose of this list as published on their guidelines page (http://listinfo.indology.info/):

INDOLOGY forum for Classical South Asian studies:
INDOLOGY is an internet discussion group whose primary purpose is to provide a forum for discussion among professional scholars of classical Indian (South Asian) civilization. The central focus of the list is the history and culture of ancient and classical India [...]

It is clear from this statement – but also from the general practice followed so far by its members – that the list is to focus on research pertaining to „ancient and classical India“  – but not to pursuing the immoral conduct of selected American South Asianists. To this day it has served the purely scholarly purpose very well indeed.

I am concerned that the shift now introduced towards naming and shaming is not only a violation of the guidelines above, but will undermine the reputation of the list and make scholars, who feel disgusted by public pillorying, turn away from it. After all, it is for the courts to assess, for the media to publicize, and for the tabloids to expose.
I can see no scholarship in any of it which would befit this list.

It is certainly legitimate to take an interest in the morals of South Asian scholars. Whoever does so and considers the issue important enough might perhaps want to establish something like The American South Asianists Immorality Discussion Forum. I really don’t think we should subscribe to such news feed here on this list.

Regards,
WS

2016-10-05 20:56 GMT+02:00 Antonia Ruppel <rhododaktylos at gmail.com<mailto:rhododaktylos at gmail.com>>:
Dear Audrey,

Many thanks for the links and the excellent overview. You're absolutely right that we need to be aware of what is going on. Whenever something like this comes to light about someone who is a colleague or perhaps even a friend, it is shocking and uncomfortable. Still, the more information we have, the better we are able to find the right side to be on here. (And yes, I think that unfortunately there are sides here, and many of us close enough to the situation need to choose one.)

All best,
     Antonia

On 29 September 2016 at 16:52, Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke at gmail.com<mailto:audrey.truschke at gmail.com>> wrote:
Dear Colleagues,

List members may be interested in an ongoing sexual harassment scandal at UC Berkeley involving an Indologist, Blake Wentworth.

Wentworth, who works on classical Tamil literature, was found guilty of sexual harassment and misconduct last year by the university, and three of his victims came forward with details of the case (here<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/10/uc-berkeley-students-professor-sexual-harassment-complaint> and here<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/27/uc-berkeley-sexual-harassment-scandal-blake-wentworth>) after being frustrated with delays in firing Wentworth.

Now Wentworth is trying to silence the women he harassed with a defamation lawsuit (here<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/29/uc-berkeley-sexual-harassment-blake-wentworth-sues-victims>).

As many of you know, sexual harassment is an ongoing issue in many disciplines, and our corner of the academy, it seems, is no exception.

Audrey Truschke
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Rutgers University-Newark

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--
Antonia Ruppel
Richmond (UK)

Out soon: The Cambridge Introduction to Sanskrit
http://www.cambridge.org/ir/academic/subjects/religion/buddhism-and-eastern-religions/cambridge-introduction-sanskrit

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--
Paolo E. Rosati
Oriental Archaeologist
PhD candidate in "Civilizations of Asia and Africa"
South Asia Section
Dep. Italian Institute of Oriental Studies/ISO
'Sapienza' University of Rome
https://uniroma1.academia.edu/PaoloRosati/
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