Professor Norman Finkelstein still shakes with anger when he recounts the night the denial-of-tenure notices came in the mail disappointing his career-hopes and those of eight of his colleagues.
"We were all leading scholars. There was not a single one of us who was not heavily published," the 54-year-old said.
A prominent human rights group on Thursday rejected DePaul University's claim that the firings were caused because of erratic and unprofessional behavior.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said there were only "rare" cases of Finkelstein's showing disrespect for others' views and that DePaul's "indiscriminate" firing actions have outraged thousands of students and social-justice advocates.
Human Rights Watch said its report was based on interviews with 94 students, 13 anti-war activists, and 27 faculty members, including "non-tenured Assistant Professor" Mathew Abraham, who commented "The general public used to look to the academy for leadership, vision, and most importantly, uncorrupted knowledge. Not anymore."
Update: Unlike previous reports, the current HRW report includes recommendations, most notably, that DePaul should be tried in the World Criminal Court for crimes against the humanities.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad
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