[INDOLOGY] Further Clarifications regarding the WSC Forum

Tue Aug 28 14:08:51 UTC 2018

Dear Colleagues,

Although I participated in the Vancouver WSC, I did not attend the panel
that has been the main object of the recent heated discussions on Indology.
The reports about it are appalling and as I told Ananya Vajpeyi in person
when in Vancouver, it seems to me that what happened there was utterly
shocking and inexcusable. I also regret that Adheesh Sathaye was made to
feel that he should apologize for his use of the word "hooliganistic":
bullies are bullies, whether they wear soccer caps or wait in turn to use
derogatory words. That said, it seems to me, as to Arlo Griffiths, that
Ananya Vajpeyi's statement that "Indology in the past 5-10 years has been
reduced to nothing but glorified trolling and unapologetic xenophobia" is a
grossly distorted description of reality. It certainly arose from a
legitimate exasperation in view of the outrageous behaviour in which some
have engaged in the past years while claiming to be Indologists; but it
fails to reflect the work and achievements of a huge majority of
Indological scholars and students, and I fear that such assertions can only
harm the just cause defended by their author: it is difficult, yet crucial,
to acknowledge (and fight) all ideologically biased attacks on our
discipline, but also to recognize their actual impact on our studies, if
only to avoid vindicating their perpetrators, who may feel that they have
been successful if we start looking back on such a rich scholarly event as
the Vancouver WSC while having in mind nothing but the few (and all
absolutely unacceptable) attacks on women, Dalits and science that occurred
there. This is not to deny that these attacks happened, or that it is
urgent to find efficient ways of defending ourselves against them in future
(regarding the WSC in particular, the suggestions by Jürgen Hanneder,
Roland Steiner and Walter Slaje are certainly worth considering); but in
any case for my part, I heard many excellent papers and learnt a lot at the
Vancouver WSC, and I am very grateful to Adheesh Sathaye and his whole team
for the enormous work that they put into the preparation of this important
academic gathering - and for bravely bearing a tremendous amount of
pressure during and after it.

With best wishes to all,
Isabelle
-- 
Isabelle Ratié
Professor of Sanskrit Language and Literatures
Sorbonne Nouvelle University (Paris 3)

Le mar. 28 août 2018 à 13:41, Olivelle, J P via INDOLOGY <
indology at list.indology.info> a écrit :

> I join Rich in expressing this sentiment. In acknowledging one serious
> aberration, let us not forget the many, many excellent panels at the WSC,
> some of which I attended and profited from. And they were also organized by
> Adheesh and his team, for which we should be thankful. Let us be
> large-hearted, as we, quite appropriately, defend the academy and
> scholarship against political and ideological intrusions and assaults.
>
> Patrick
>
>
>
> On Aug 27, 2018, at 7:31 PM, Richard G Salomon via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I would like to endorse John Nemec's comments in appreciation of Adheesh
> Sathaye's efforts on behalf of the recent WSC conference and its aftermath.
> He, along with Mandakranta Bose and many others, did an excellent job, and
> it seems to me that we should be thanking rather than criticizing him/them.
> As organizer he was inevitably caught in the crossfire, but has managed the
> matter in as tactful and diplomatic a manner as possible.
>
> It is all too easy to criticize a person who lands in such a situation,
> but it is usually best to resist the temptation.
>
> Rich Salomon
>
> On 8/25/2018 1:14 PM, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> I have no complaints regarding the number of hours that Dr. Sathaye put
> into organizing the WSC. I have an objection to basically apologizing to
> those who disrupted conference proceedings by spewing misogyny, casteism,
> and other vile sentiments. I also object to watering down an earlier
> commitment to professionalism, scholarly discourse, and integrity.
>
> I think there’s a pretty big problem with giving slack on bowing to
> hateful Hindutva pressures and behaviors. Unsurprisingly, this slack comes
> at the expense of the most disadvantaged within our discipline already,
> such as women and Dalits. When will we see more folks standing up for those
> that lack power, rather than those who have it and are “exhausted” by
> exercising it?
>
> I think we are better off naming - clearly and without equivocation - the
> poisonous trend of accommodation and compromise with hate that is sweeping
> up many in our discipline. It’s likely a losing battle, but I’ll fight my
> corner all the same. I invite others to join me.
>
> Audrey Truschke
> Assistant Professor
> Department of History
> Rutgers University-Newark
>
> On Aug 25, 2018, at 2:28 PM, Nemec, John William (nemec) (jwn3y) <
> jwn3y at virginia.edu> wrote:
>
> Dear Colleagues, Dear Audrey Truschke,
>
> I did attend the WSC for a short time but not the offending incident,
> which sounds horrible. I appreciate some of what Adheesh said in his
> emails, and yet imagine I might not have said all of what he said.
>
> But, having organized an academic event only 1/100th the size and
> complexity of the WSC 2018, and having found that administrative task hefty
> enough and unnerving enough to be able perhaps just to begin to imagine the
> sheer work Adheesh put into the conference (from which many scholars
> benefitted), I know we owe him a debt of gratitude for his service. I also
> think we can all be quite confident that he came into this project and
> service with the best of intentions. And I am quite certain he has learned
> the unfortunate lesson that "all good deeds go unpunished."
>
> In a word: We are all human, and Adheesh must be exhausted by the WSC. He
> was hardly the perpetuator of the offending acts. I hope we can all cut him
> some slack. Adheesh, thank you for all the work you did for Indology.
>
> John
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 25, 2018, at 2:46 PM, Audrey Truschke via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
>
> This is a formal retraction of Dr. Sathaye’s earlier note. It’s shameful.
> It apologizes to the offenders, not the maligned. It deflects attention
> from the real issues. It is part of the problem identified by Dr. Vajpeyi.
> If anyone needed further proof of how much hateful Hindutva sentiments and
> pressures are overtaking our discipline, look no further.
>
> It seems to me that the World Sanskrit Conference is a lost cause at this
> point. The bigger issue, however, is seeing the moral and ethical
> compromises being made by Indologists in emails such as this. I’m horrified
> and, frankly, embarrassed to see such things.
>
> For those interested in ongoing coverage of the event that sparked what’s
> become a show of horrors and how our discipline looks to the outside world
> -
> https://www.firstpost.com/life/world-sanskrit-conference-shows-that-sanskritic-scholarship-in-india-remains-afraid-of-gender-and-caste-4895051.html
>
> Audrey
>
> Audrey Truschke
> Assistant Professor
> Department of History
> Rutgers University-Newark
>
> On Aug 24, 2018, at 12:17 AM, adheesh sathaye via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear Colleagues:
>
> I would like to make a few points of clarification regarding my previous
> post on the WSC Forum on Gender and Caste: (see
> http://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology_list.indology.info/2018-August/142744.html).
> I write again only in my capacity as the organizer of the Gender and Caste
> Forum. I do *not* speak on behalf of the WSC Organizing Committee, nor the
> IASS, but just as myself.
>
> 1.There have been requests that the WSC should release footage of the
> event. However,
> (a) I can clarify that the WSC team did not record any events during the
> conference, except those of the inaugural day. So unfortunately, we don’t
> have any tape to release.
> (b) Many of us noticed a fellow with a tripod in the front row recording
> the event. This person was not a member of our team, nor a registered WSC
> delegate, and is unknown to me. Other spectators may also have taken videos
> and uploaded them to the internet.
>
> 2. In my previous post, I had used the word ‘hooliganistic’ to describe
> the ways of speaking that I witnessed by some people in the audience. After
> further self-reflection, and after reading the objections against it, I
> agree that this word was inappropriate to use, and that it contains
> accusatory overtones that I did not intend to make. I regret using this
> extreme term to describe the shouting that I witnessed, instead of a more
> straightforward word. I also would like to note that in my recollection,
> several scholars spoke their remarks that evening without shouting, while
> others waited patiently for their turn to speak. I humbly ask those who may
> have felt wrongfully accused by my improper use of this word to allow for
> its retraction.
>
> Other statements of mine might also sound like blanket accusations against
> large parts of the audience. However, I would like to clarify that this was
> not my intention. My main objective in writing my response was to
> acknowledge, and apologize for, my own failure as the organizer in
> preventing and mediating the conflicts that occurred at the Forum. I did
> not intend to make public pronouncements about who shouted or why they did
> so.
>
> To be clear: as the organizer of the Forum, and also as the Lead Organizer
> of the WSC, I abstain from making public accusations against any specific
> individuals or groups.
>
> 3. I would like to clarify that my apology extends also to everyone who
> was negatively impacted by the event—including those in the audience, who,
> after all, were also our invited guests to Vancouver. I realize that I did
> not state this explicitly in my previous post, so please allow me do so
> here:
>
> I apologize for any negative impact felt by the audience, as well as the
> speakers, due to the mismanaged Forum on Gender and Caste at the 17th WSC.
> Our Committee did not wish to create distress for any of our respected
> guests, on stage or in the audience, and I should have worked harder to
> ensure that such a situation did not occur.
>
> Many people have now written about the details of what happened. I
> appreciate hearing your points of view, and I thank you all for taking the
> time to offer your personal perspectives on what happened. I don’t dispute
> your accounts, and I respect your right to express them. All of the
> accounts of the event—including Dr. Vajpeyi’s—point to serious problems in
> its initial planning, management, facilitation, and communication that
> produced a hostile environment. These are areas that I was responsible for,
> as the organizer. I accept your criticism, I will take these difficult
> lessons to heart, and will apply them in a positive way toward the future.
>
> 4. Clarification of funding:
> (a) The 17th WSC did not receive any monetary support from the Government
> of India. The travel of the Nepathya troupe was supported by ICCR and the
> inaugural banquet was hosted by the Hon. Minister, HRD, Shri Prakash
> Javadekar.
> (b) Funding for the Gender/Caste Forum was sought from local sources
> *after* I had proposed the idea and it had been approved by the WSC
> Organizing Committee. Registration fees were not used to fund the event,
> and our donors did not make any demands on its content or format.
>
> I hope this note might clarify some matters and ease some concerns. I
> hesitate to write on this matter again in public, but I will be happy to
> communicate with anyone further privately, if desired. And I do hope that,
> in all other aspects, the 17th WSC was an inspiring, congenial, and
> productive gathering for all 500+ delegates who visited us in Vancouver. We
> had tried our best to make it so.
>
> With all best wishes,
>
> —
> Adheesh Sathaye
> University of British Columbia
>
>
>
>
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