[INDOLOGY] [SARI-L] [EXT]20th India Studies Webinar on Sep 28 (Thursday), 10.30 am - 11.30 am (IST), organized by The India Centre, FLAME University

Tue Sep 12 17:12:36 UTC 2023

Dear Professor Jain,

In response to your invitation to participate in a webinar with Prof.
Salvatore Babones, I can only politely request that you and your colleagues
at FLAME reconsider your invitation to him to speak.

As you may be aware, Dr. Babones has repeatedly vilified humanities and
social science scholars at large in India, suggesting that those Indian
academics who critique the current government are "anti-national" and
"anti-India." He has also suggested, on numerous occasions, that those of
us that are engaged in the study of South Asia outside of India and who
critique the current regime are similarly "anti-India" in toto. Dr.
Salvatore's rather broad and unconsidered pronouncements in the press, in
social media, and in forums such as the one you propose have demonstrably
encouraged the vilification of Indian academia at large and liberal or
left-leaning Indian academics in particular. His statements have also
generated a palpable and general mistrust of non-Indian scholars among a
segment of the Indian public, without providing any basis for such mistrust.

I am sure you will agree that inviting or not inviting Dr. Babones is not a
matter of academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, or freedom of speech. The
reason for this is that Dr. Babones has publicly demonstrated his
opposition to academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and freedom of speech
by repeatedly suggesting that any and all critics of the current political
regime are anti-national, treasonous, or neo-colonial agents. As is plain,
such a position can never engage in reasoned and reasonable debate or the
exchange of ideas.

(Colleagues unfamiliar with Dr. Salvatore may refer to his numerous
statements vilifying Indian and foreign academics and the entire "intellectual
class" of India <Dear Professor Jain, In response to your invitation to
participate in a webinar with Prof. Salvatore Babones, I can only politely
request that you and your colleagues at FLAME reconsider your invitation to
him to speak. As you may be aware, Dr. Salvatore has repeatedly vilified
humanities and social science scholars at large in India, suggesting that
those Indian academics who critique the current government are
"anti-national" and "anti-India." He has also suggested, on numerous
occasions, that those of us that are engaged in the study of South Asia
outside of India and who critique the current regime are similarly
"anti-India" in toto. Dr. Salvatore's rather broad and unconsidered
pronouncements in the press, in social media, and in forums such as the one
you propose have demonstrably encouraged the vilification of Indian
academia at large and liberal or left-leaning Indian academics in
particular. His statements have also generated a palpable and general
mistrust of non-Indian scholars among a segment of the Indian public,
without providing any basis for such mistrust. I am sure you will agree
that inviting or not inviting Dr. Babones is not a matter of academic
freedom, freedom of inquiry, or freedom of speech. The reason for this is
that Dr. Babones has publicly demonstrated his opposition to academic
freedom, freedom of inquiry, and freedom of speech by repeatedly suggesting
that any and all critics of the current political regime are anti-national,
treasonous, or neo-colonial agents. As is plain, such a position can never
engage in reasoned and reasonable debate or the exchange of ideas.
(Colleagues unfamiliar with Dr. Salvatore may refer to his numerous
statements vilifying Indian and foreign academics and the entire
"intellectual class" of India in the Indian media and on Twitter/X.) This
being the case, I am sure you can see why The India Centre's invitatinon to
Dr. Balbones could be, and is indeed being, read as an expression of
FLAME's fealty to the present political dispensation rather than as an
expression of commitment to the exchange of ideas and the sharing of
knowledge. Since the debate around freedom of speech and inquiry has become
so confused, I will repeat: the issue that others and I perceive in the
platforming of Dr. Balbones is that he will use the platform, as he has
many others, to encourage government repression of individual academics and
their institutions, thus creating a material danger to our Indian
colleagues, their careers, and their institutions. I am sure this is not
something that anyone at FLAME would wish to do. In summary, I hope that
you will reconsider inviting Dr. Babones as an honored speaker to FLAME,
not because he is a sychopant to the current regime but because he is
attacking the academic activities and careers of our colleagues, many of
whom are members of this list. Regards, Tyler Williams University of
Chicago> in the Indian media and on Twitter/X.)

This being the case, I am sure you can see why The India Centre's
invitation to Dr. Balbones could be, and is indeed being, read as an
expression of FLAME's fealty to the present political dispensation rather
than as an expression of commitment to the exchange of ideas and the
sharing of knowledge.

Since the debate around freedom of speech and inquiry has become so
confused lately, I will repeat: the issue that others and I perceive in the
platforming of Dr. Balbones is that he will use the platform, as he has
many others, to encourage government repression of individual academics and
their institutions, thus creating a material danger to our Indian
colleagues, their careers, and their institutions. I am sure this is not
something that anyone at FLAME would wish to do.

In summary, I hope that you will reconsider inviting Dr. Babones as an
honored speaker to FLAME, not because he is a sycophant to the current
regime but because he is attacking the academic activities and careers of
our colleagues, many of whom are members of this list.

Regards,
Tyler Williams
University of Chicago

On Tue, Sep 12, 2023 at 7:32 AM Pankaj Sukanraj Jain पंकज सुकनराज जैन <
sari-l at list.arizona.edu> wrote:

> *External Email*
> Esteemed colleagues and friends,
>
> The India Centre, FLAME University is delighted to share that we will be
> hosting our 20th India Series Webinar. The speaker for this month is *Prof.
> Salvatore Babones*.
>
> *About the Speaker*: *Prof. Salvatore Babones* is a political sociologist
> at the University of Sydney and the author of *Australia's Universities:
> Can they Reform?* He is the author or co-author of seven other books and
> many academic papers. He serves as the executive director of the Indian
> Century Roundtable. He will be speaking on *How International Democracy
> Ratings Misrepresent India?*
>
> Details of the webinar are as follows:
> Date: 28 September
> Time: 10.30  – 11.30 am
> Zoom Link:  https://flameuniversity.zoom.us/j/92288362242 , Passcode:
> 599938
>
> We are hopeful that you share our enthusiasm for participating in this
> conversation. Please help us spread this message extensively.
>
> Hoping to see you in the webinar.
>
> Warm regards,
> Sanchari Basu Chaudhuri
> Fellow, The India Centre <https://indiacentre.flame.edu.in/>
> FLAME University
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "TheIndiaCentre" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to TheIndiaCentre+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com.
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/TheIndiaCentre/CAPhGF0jEgi7ZzszLpNK_CqMHnoHNcF3G3-rFf54%2B%3DvQa1%3DAnag%40mail.gmail.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/TheIndiaCentre/CAPhGF0jEgi7ZzszLpNK_CqMHnoHNcF3G3-rFf54%2B%3DvQa1%3DAnag%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
> .
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> To mail to the list please email: sari-l at list.arizona.edu
>
> PLEASE use a signature with your full name and institutional affiliation.
>
> SARI-L mailing list
> How to change subscriber options: https://sari.arizona.edu/sari-l-how-to/
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology/attachments/20230912/f253c901/attachment.htm>