I suspect – though I have not done a survey – that many scholars on this list might also refrain publishing their books at SUNY or Oxford and similarly sign a petitions should that publishing house begin printing or distributing Mein Kampf. So I think discussions about ethnocentrism and condescension are inconsequential and misplaced here. Since many scholars, including myself, are personally acquainted with Jain family, it's reasonable to express feel and express concern about such a choice in inventory.

Sincerely,

David Mellins


On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 10:41 AM, Walter Slaje <slaje@kabelmail.de> wrote:

Speaking of „the best” – any democratic forum of scholars would certainly welcome the request made earlier for more transparency, particularly in terms of the precise number of members they (unknowingly) communicate with.


As to the petition as such, which was launched by a member of the committee of our list, a brief check just made reveals a number of 62 signatories put under the general label of “success” ("Erfolg" on the German site):


http://www.change.org/de/Petitionen/motilal-banarsidass-stop-publishing-and-selling-hitler-s-mein-kampf?utm_campaign=petition_created&utm_medium=email&utm_source=guides

 

We need of course to know how many of us actually are on this list, as it is always only the total of a certain fraction that can be used as a criterion for assessing something as “success” (or not). Since the petition was made an agenda of this, and only this, list, members may justifiably expect unrestricted statistical information to gauge its results.

It was sad to witness how the juste milieu privilege themselves by claiming sovereignty over the accessibility, distribution and interpretation of a book in an independent state where they cannot claim citizenship, and arrogantly try to lecture their colleagues together with a publishing house from India very much after the colonial manner of educating their (former) subjects. Those schoolmarmishly disciplined could now with the same right demand a demonstration of the higher morale preached in this list by addressing the committee with the request for something rather simple, though essential in the given context, to wit, democratic transparency.

WS

-----------------------------
Prof. Dr. Walter Slaje
Hermann-Löns-Str. 1
D-99425 Weimar
Deutschland

Ego ex animi mei sententia spondeo ac polliceor
studia humanitatis impigro labore culturum et provecturum
non sordidi lucri causa nec ad vanam captandam gloriam,
sed quo magis veritas propagetur et lux eius, qua salus
humani generis continetur, clarius effulgeat.
Vindobonae, die XXI. mensis Novembris MCMLXXXIII.


2014-05-22 14:29 GMT+02:00 Rosane Rocher <rrocher@sas.upenn.edu>:
It is a sad day when a member of this list chooses to insult the totality of his Canadian and US colleagues with an ethnic/national stereotype and claim such a slur as "truth."  It is the kind of day when one has to remind oneself of the many acts of kindness, generosity, and collegial sharing of information and resources across cyberspace to refrain from hitting the "unsubscribe" option. May the best in us continue to prevail!
Rosane
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