Statement on Language, Power, and Action

POSTED BY MARTIN KICH The following statement has been released by the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), which is affiliated with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE): Language is powerful. It empowers individuals to explore and change themselves and their worlds. A belief in this power of language and the abilities…

On Race and Racism Data Matter

BY HANK REICHMAN In the aftermath of the election there has been plenty of discussion, both among academics and in the media, of the role played by “identity” and especially race in the outcome.  Mark Lilla’s much and deservedly criticized New York Times op-ed, “The End of Identity Politics,” got things going.  Among the more…

Higher Education and "Identity Politics"

BY CHRISTOPHER NEWFIELD (WITH INTRODUCTION BY HENRY REICHMAN) Since it first appeared in the New York Times a week ago, I’ve been meaning to write something in response to Princeton professor Mark Lilla’s op-ed, “The End of Identity Liberalism.”  But I’ve been traveling and had to put off the task, hoping along the way to write something…

Mainstreaming Hate after the Election

BY DONNA YOUNG This is a guest post by Donna Young, the guest editor of the November–December Academe issue. She is a law professor at Albany Law School and president of the Albany Law School AAUP chapter. My editor’s note for the current issue of Academe, which focuses on the theme “Race on Campus,” begins with the statement, “All is not…

Juxtaposition of the Day

BY MARTIN KICH This is a double juxtaposition for the price of one. Note the order of the two articles—the implicit greater concern for the seeming epidemic of dog shootings by police over the incidence of hate crimes. Here are the six “Fast Facts” in the second article: “1. The new report covers incidents that…