THE
CEIMSA DOSSIER
UNIVERSITE
STEHDHAL-GRENOBLE 3
(2004)
DOCUMENT #5
30 June 2004
Grenoble, France
Dear Colleagues and Friends of
CEIMSA,
Here is one more uplifting letter
of support arguing for the survival of our research center
--this one from Professor Bertell Ollman,
at NYU.
all the best wishes,
Francis Feeley
Professor of American Studies/
Director of Research
________________________________
Date: Tue,
29 Jun 2004
From: Professor Bertell
Ollman, NYU
To: Patrick.Chezaud@u-grenoble3.fr
CC: Michael.Lafon@u-grenoble3.fr,
troisvallets@gestion.u-grenoble3.fr,
Odile.Lagacheri@u-grenoble3.fr, George.Tyras@u-grenoble3.fr,
Francoise.Papa@u-grenoble3.fr, Susan.Blattes@u-grenoble3.fr,
Subject: The
fate of CEIMSA
Dear
Dr. Chezaud,
I
am writing you in the hope of keeping the University
of Grenoble
from making a dreadful mistake. It seems that your prestigious university is in the process of bringing to an
end one of
the most innovative and important American Studies programs in the
world
because - as far as I can gather - it is said to be lacking in just
these
qualities. First a word on my
credentials.
I am a full professor in the Dept. of Politics at New York
University
and have authored and edited thirteen books in American politics,
comparative
politics and political theory. I received my doctorate at Oxford
University
in 1967 and have given courses at Oxford
and Columbia
besides NYU. I have also given about 300 lectures at universities in 14
different countries, including a couple for CEIMSA at the University
of Grenoble.
In 2001, I received the first McCoy Award for life-time scholarship
from the
New Political Science section of the American Political Science
Association. In
short, I like to think that I am something of an authority on American
politics
and therefore in a good position to evaluate the many American Studies
programs
I have encountered both in the U.S.
and around the world. In 2002, I spent several days
in Grenoble
at a CEIMSA conference, where I had a lot of contact with both faculty
and
students, and since then I and my NYU students have made frequent use
of CEIMSA's excellent website. (I have
also read two of
Professor Feeley's books and several of
his
articles). Throughout I have been extremely impressed by the sheer
intellectual
excitement, high scholarly quality, tolerance for different views, and
stimulating dialogue that have marked all my experiences with CEIMSA.
The
conference I attended there in 2002 was a highlight in a life made of
hundreds
of such conferences. It certainly gave me more to think about than
practically
any other conference I've attended in many
years. You
know and I know that the main thrust of the scholarly work and
exchanges done
at CEIMSA are of a progressive nature,
but it is
just this that makes its scholarly contribution to American Studies so
important. The scholarly work of progressives in this field is vast. I
am
particularly well placed to attest to this, since I co-edited a three
volume
work, THE LEFT ACADEMY: MARXIST SCHOLARSHIP ON AMERICAN CAMPUSES
(1982-'86),
that brought together the best of this work from twenty-three different
disciplines. Such efforts continue to grow in practically every
discipline. But
for reasons you will understand, there are relatively few places and
occasions
to display the results. It is not only progressive scholars who lose
out from
this, but also their disciplines, their colleagues, the
universities generally and of course the students, because they/we have
something important to contribute the ongoing discussions and common
search for
the truth. Serious scholars and university administrators of all
political
persuasions understand this, and, if they truly believe in the sanctity
of
academic freedom, they do what they can to allow this exchange between
progressive scholars and the rest of the academy to take
place. I had concluded from the existence of CEIMSA
at Grenoble
that your university is place where such a commitment existed. In fact,
your
university may have been in the forefront in the entire western academy
in
promoting top quality exchanges between progressive and other scholars
in the
field of American Studies. Truly, from my perspective, it has been a
magnificent achievement, for which I shall always honor
all those who made it possible, especially Professor Feeley.
It is with great sadness that I learned that this period of
"greatness" - yes, I consider it such - is now coming to an end. Is
it at all possible for you to reconsider? You would be doing an
outstanding
service to your university, to the students and faculty who work there,
to
American Studies world-wide, and to the pursuit of truth wherever that
may
lead.
Sincerely
Yours,
Professor
Bertell Ollman
Dept.
Politics
New York University