Alan Dershowitz has a new book out titled Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law. I perused it not to find any tidbit of useful information or memorable anecdotes. Instead, I looked for mention of Dershowitz's academic nemesis, Norman Finkelstein. Anyone familiar with Dershowitz's legal work, teaching at Harvard University, or his public performances will remember the classic exchange between Dershowitz and Finkelstein on Democracy Now! in which Finkelstein meticulously pointed out factual inaccuracies in Dershowitz's 2003 book "The Case for Israel."
To capture the essence of the dispute and understand the dislike these men have for each other, check out the excellent DVD American Radical: Trials of Norman Finkelstein. It is memorable, if nothing else because Dershowitz, well known for his oratorical skills, has a few "Well, I., uh......." moments.
However, in the end, Dershowitz "won." He contacted DePaul University, Finkelstein's place of employment, and made a strong case to deny him tenure if not outright fire him. Sadly, the university listened.
It saddens me that something like this happens (much too frequently) in the world of academia. Finkelstein still makes a living, but it is a shame that more people are denied access to his intellect and powers of perception.
All this went through my mind as I flipped through the pages of Dershowitz's new book. I immediately went to the index to see if there was any mention of Norman Finkelstein. Sure enough, there was. The index read "Norman Finkelstein...............................p. 18." I immediately turned to page 18 to look for the mention of Finkelstein. I was curious to see what Dershowitz had to say. I read the whole page and found no mention of Finkelstein. Some things never change! It makes you wonder about the existence of the other items listed in the index, doesn't it?
To capture the essence of the dispute and understand the dislike these men have for each other, check out the excellent DVD American Radical: Trials of Norman Finkelstein. It is memorable, if nothing else because Dershowitz, well known for his oratorical skills, has a few "Well, I., uh......." moments.
However, in the end, Dershowitz "won." He contacted DePaul University, Finkelstein's place of employment, and made a strong case to deny him tenure if not outright fire him. Sadly, the university listened.
It saddens me that something like this happens (much too frequently) in the world of academia. Finkelstein still makes a living, but it is a shame that more people are denied access to his intellect and powers of perception.
All this went through my mind as I flipped through the pages of Dershowitz's new book. I immediately went to the index to see if there was any mention of Norman Finkelstein. Sure enough, there was. The index read "Norman Finkelstein...............................p. 18." I immediately turned to page 18 to look for the mention of Finkelstein. I was curious to see what Dershowitz had to say. I read the whole page and found no mention of Finkelstein. Some things never change! It makes you wonder about the existence of the other items listed in the index, doesn't it?
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