I know there have been a few Atzmon related posts recently, but I think it’s of interest to note who is willing to work/speak alongside him without (apparently) planning to counter his antisemitic views. Here you can read more about this event, due to take place on 10 October.
Zero Books invites you to a panel discussion on “Jewish Identity Politics” to launch Gilad Atzmon’s important new book The Wandering Who.
Jewish identity and Jewish Politics are loaded topics and Jewish identity is tied up with some of the most difficult and contentious issues of today. Yet, not many people, if any at all, would dare touch upon these subjects. surrounding the role of ‘Jewish identity’ within Jewish marginal discourses including Zionism, Jewish anti Zionism, Jewish assimilation, Israel vs. Diaspora, Israeli lobbying and more. The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics (Zero Books 2011) is praised by some of the most respected scholars within the relevant discourse.
Those who would in fact very happily ‘dare touch upon these subjects’ are Atzmon himself, Glenn Bowman, Oren Ben Dor and Karl Sabbagh.
Readers may remember that Karl Sabbagh took part in a panel discussion with Atzmon a few months ago. Others dropped out, but Sabbagh, Sameh Habeeb and Alan Hart stuck with it. Here is Lauren Booth’s glowing review of that event.
Glenn Bowman is described on the publicity material as a ‘Social Anthropologist who has worked in Jerusalem and the West Bank throughout the past 25 years.’ He is an established academic, who has published widely in his field. Here (you’ll have to search for it) he seems to be defending Mary Rizzo and Gilad Atzmon from the charge of antisemitism. (For a less tolerant view of both those figures see for example this.)
In isolation, Bowman’s brief intervention in an online debate wouldn’t be noteworthy, as it seems to reflect academic caution in the absence of overwhelming evidence rather than any particularly objectionable views. But one assumes by now that he has taken the time to find out more about Atzmon, and in fact here (although there are no further links or references offered) he is described as one of ‘only two academics … who are or have been associated with Atzmon’.
The second of these two academics is, in fact, the final participant in the Zero Books panel discussion. This is Oren Ben Dor, a Reader in the Philosophy of Law at The University of Southampton.
Oren writes on the uncanny origin of political emergence as well as on originary violence in Palestine. He explores the existential relationship between the Jewish and the Zionist Questions.
When it comes to writing about Israel he certainly doesn’t pull his (counter)punches.
Echoing Lebanon 2006, the people of Gaza are being butchered by murderous pilots of a murderous state. Ground forces will soon butcher many more.
Here he signs a petition defending Atzmon and Mary Rizzo against attacks from Zionists and, particularly, anti-zionists.
Zero Books asserts that ‘in the unthinking, blandly consensual culture in which we live, critical and engaged theoretical reflection is more important than ever before.’
Personally I was quite happy with the old bland consensus that racism was generally a bad thing.
