In 2023, Prof. Franco wrote an aggressive paper that was openly designed to hurt. He expresses his delight that his "critical comments stung where they aimed". The attributes with which he graced me there make his intentions more than clear: "vicious, blatant, disgraceful, sarcastic, haughty, brutal, contemptuous, harsh, furious, abusive, contemptuous, rude, false, inaccurate, whitewashing, clumsy, unsuccessful, semblance of a scholarly approach, obnoxious, comical," etc. In 2024 I tried to set the record straight by correcting Franco's numerous errors, his manipulative use of quotations and his distortion of data by using and presenting the original sources. My publication announcement on this list in 2024 was made impartially, with a neutral reference to an earlier announcement by Prof. Franco the year before. There were no invectives from my side and no discussion of content. However, Prof. Franco, who cannot stand to be corrected, has vindictively decided to spoil my present vacation by showering me with yet another series of invectives. Here is how he unintentionally exposed himself this time (2025): "obnoxious, pompous, arrogant, distortive, manipulative, polemical, idiotic, false argument, error, embarrassing, tarnished reputation, cheap maneuver, whitewashing, apologetic scholarship, despicable, aggressive", etc.
Voilà, the language and thoughts of a German indologist in the 21st century.
Obviously, Prof. Franco wants to drag me into his dirty corner, where he feels at home. But I won't take the bait. Having failed in every other way, he remains faithful to his methods. I have no use for them and will not take part in debates au goût du Prof. Franco. Nor will I discuss home-made papers, on which anything can be smeared and which can be changed at any time, with anyone, and certainly not coram publico. Debates on such sensitive and complex issues have their proper place in peer-reviewed publications, where a minimum of academic quality control can be assumed if the editors act responsibly. A discussion forum that cannot even claim to meet the standards required of research papers is certainly not the place to explore such issues. I will not comment further on this matter until Prof. Franco has published his latest claims in a journal, stamped and sealed by peers and editors. Should he make substantial points by presenting new and reliable evidence about Frauwallner, there will be a scholarly response from my side. Until then, I will not help him by pointing out any errors before a possible publication.
But note that my “idiotic” statement that there was no reliable evidence to pass moral judgment on Frauwallner (Franco 2025: 11) was originally made in the explicit context of a typological pattern underlying Stuchlik's accusation that Frauwallner had participated in the theft of Jewish positions (Slaje 2010: 453-454; see also Franco 2023: 253). Stuchlik and Franco had dwelt at length on the crime they had constructed and imputed to Frauwallner, of which nothing remained after the inspection of the files. Accordingly, in 2025 Franco tacitly passed over his fabrication of Frauwallner's takeover of Jewish positions. Miraculously, another piece of Franco's reliable evidence has disappeared. And sadly, none of Franco's futile efforts contribute to the hard evidence needed to establish Frauwallner as the anti-Semite he portrays him to be. With Franco it all boils down to someone desperately wanting a few strands of Frauwallner's scalp on Stuchlik's belt for himself. Too bad the trophy was a wig.
Regards,
Dear list members,
In response to my critical presentation of the debate between him and
Jakob Stuchlik occasioned by Stuchlik’s book on Erich Frauwallner and
National Socialism, Professor Walter Slaje has honored me with a long
and angry diatribe; evidently, my critical comments stung where they
aimed. Admittedly, in spite of his obnoxiously pompous and arrogant
tone, distortive and manipulative presentation, and uncanny propensity
to deliberately ignore relevant evidence, some of the details Slaje
polemically points out are apposite and should be considered in a
further discussion. However, they are only marginally relevant to the
core of my paper. As I show, when it comes to its main points, he
fails completely, for they all stand. They are the following:
1) Frauwallner was an anti-Semite and did not change his attitude even
after WWII and the holocaust.
2) Frauwallner’s affiliation with National Socialism was not due to a
passing sentiment but a deeply held conviction, and he continued to
embrace NS propaganda long after the war.
3) Frauwallner was not only a member of the NSDAP, but also worked for
NS institutions, such as the SA and the Gestapo.
4) Frauwallner tried to appropriate Jewish property with the charming
justification that “up until now I have not acquired any Jewish
assets” (“Ich habe bisher kein Judenvermögen erworben”).
5) Frauwallner applied a racist theory to the entire history of Indian
philosophy.
I have no intention to begin a trench warfare with Slaje, that is, to
dwell on every false argument, point out every distortion, explain
every error, etc., in his paper. Were I to do so, I would have to
write a small monograph, and a tedious one, likely to exhaust both
writer and reader. What I do instead is to summarize and augment the
evidence that establishes the above-mentioned five points,
underpinning the key points of my argument which leave no room for
ambiguity. Furthermore, I say a few words on one more point made in my
paper and attacked by Slaje, namely,
6) the lack of engagement on the part of German Indologists with the
history of the discipline in the dark times of National Socialism
(“Where are the German Indologists?”).
On the whole, one may apply Frauwallner’s question about Herbert
Günther (later spelled Guenther), who stole some of his books shortly
after WWII, to Slaje: “Does he think that he is dealing with idiots?”
Slaje’s embarrassing review of Stuchlik’s work has already tarnished
his reputation. His current attempt to save face will hardly enhance it.
For those interested, my response is posted in:
https://www.academia.edu/127441538/Does_Herr_Slaje_think_that_he_is_dealing_with_idiots_Rejoinder_to_Walter_Slaje_Indologists_and_Contemporary_History_Eli_Franco_on_Erich_Frauwallner_as_a_Political_Subject_
With best wishes,
Eli
Zitat von Walter Slaje via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>:
> Dear Colleagues,
>
>
>
> I would like to draw your attention to a recent critique of one of the
> articles announced by Prof Franco in his post of 22 September 2023, and
> will be happy to send a PDF to those who have difficulty accessing the
> article:
>
>
>
> https://zdmg.harrassowitz-library.com/article/ZDMG/2024/2/11
>
>
>
> If you are interested in a copy, please contact me off-list.
>
>
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Walter Slaje
>
>
>
>
>
> From franco@uni-leipzig.de Fri Sep 22 08:54:26 2023
>
> From: franco@uni-leipzig.de (Eli Franco)
>
> Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2023 10:54:26 +0200
>
> Subject: [INDOLOGY] German Indology and National Socialism
>
>
>
> Dear list members,
>
>
>
> I would like to draw your attention to a special issue of NTM Zeitschrift
> f?r Geschichte der Wissenschaften, Technik und Medizin/ NTM Journal of the
> History of Science, Technology and Medicine on German Indology and National
> Socialism, which contains the following articles:
>
>
>
> Moritz Epple, Maria Framke, Eli Franco, Horst Junginger, and Baijayanti
> Roy, Where do we Stand in the Historiography of Small Disciplines in Nazi
> Germany? The Case of Indology
>
>
>
> Same authors, Introduction: Indology and Aryanism: Knowledge of India
>
> in Nazi Germany?An Invitation for New Research
>
> Maria Framke, Manoeuvring Across Academia in National Socialist
>
> Germany: The Life and Work of Devendra Nath Bannerjea
>
>
>
> Eli Franco, ?There is No Reliable Evidence to Pass Moral Judgment on
>
> Frauwallner.? Erich Frauwallner, Jakob Stuchlik, Walter Slaje, and the
> Whitewashing
>
> of Austrian Indology During the Time of National Socialism
>
> (I wish to take this opportunity to modify my final statement by
>
> referring to Axel Michaels, ?Sheldon Pollock and German Indology.? In:
>
> Hans Harder and Dhruv Raina (eds.), Disciplines and Movements.
>
> Conversations between India and the German-speaking World. Hyderabad:
>
> Orient BlackSwan, 85-104.)
>
>
>
> Baijayanti Roy, Knowledge of India as an Instrument of Nazi Politics:
>
> Ludwig Alsdorf, German Indology and Indian Anti-Colonialism
>
>
>
> Isabella Schwaderer, ?Exotic Sensation? or ?V?lkisch Art?? Press
>
> Reviews of the Indisches Ballett Menaka (Menaka Indian Ballet) on Tour
>
> Through Germany, 1936?1938
>
>
>
> All articles have Open Access and can be downloaded in
>
> https://link.springer.com/journal/48/online-first
>
>
>
> Best wishes and Shanah Tovah,
>
> Eli
>
>
>
> --
>
> Prof. Dr. Eli Franco
>
> Hegergasse 8/15
>
> Wien 1030
>
> Austria
--
Prof. Dr. Eli Franco
Hegergasse 8/15
Wien 1030
Austria
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