Guest guest Posted June 10, 2001 Report Share Posted June 10, 2001 INDOLOGY, gm@A... wrote: I didnt mean to get you in trouble with Witzel. What is needed here is honesty, not political action. A single sentence of clarification in his webpage will do. They also collaborate who sit silently as their field is being abused. > It's not about stopping Neo-Nazis using this or that symbol. > It's about stopping the Neo-Nazis. Full stop. > And that is a citizen's duty for which nobody has to > stand up more than anybody else in particular. > > And could you please stop asking Prof. Witzel > or anybody else for political action on an Indological > list. There are millions of causes that are as urgent > as the use of symbols. > And the fact that Prof. Witzel kindly gives so much > of his time to share his knowledge on this list with > the rest of us should not be held against him. > > I am discontinuing on this topic, if you don't mind. > > aishwaryannamboodiri wrote: > > > You are correct, we all have that responsibility. Yet, Witzel has a > > special role as did Thieme in an earlier generation: they are solid > > scholars who rose to the level of being spokesmen for a field. When > > symbols and words that acquired a > > academic respectability because of their work > > are being abused they have a > > higher responsibility than an ordinary citizen, they have a special > > responsibility to correct the public record. This is the flip- side of > > academic freedom. > > > > Scholarship without moral education and courage > > is truly dangerous- as the abuse of Indology in Germany so clearly > > shows. > > > > From the lack of a reference in your reply I assume that > > Witzel has been silent on the issue. Is there any one at all in the > > field who has stood up? > > > > INDOLOGY, gm@A... wrote: > > > I don't think Indologists like Prof. Witzel have a singular moral > > > responsibility for preventing Neo-Nazis using any symbols. > > > You do, too. > > > > > > aishwaryannamboodiri wrote: > > > > > > > It is not sufficient ( as you so graciously did) to acknowledge that > > > > some Indologists -like other academics- > > > > collaborated . You have to name names: who were > > > > they? It is necessary to see how the field was affected by its Nazi > > > > association and to see if there are remnants of racism still left in > > > > the field. Instances of resistance are also valuable. ( Another poster > > > > mentioned a scholar who resisted the use of the Swastika by the > > > > Nazis. )For example, how did Thieme resist the abuse of Indology? > > > > What is Witzel doing currently to prevent the ongoing abuse of Aryan > > > > symbolism by the Neo-Nazis? > > > > > > > > Academics have the right to hold unpopular opinions, even those that > > > > could be used to justify genocide. The credibility of the discipline > > > > will only be enhanced by acknowledging the mistakes of its past. The > > > > Kurt Waldheim episode is instructive: it was his inability to > > > > acknowledge his Military service that brought him such ill- repute. > > > > > > > > Perhaps a conference on " The Abuses of the Aryan Myth " would be a > > > > good idea. > > > > By the way what do you think of the book > > > > " The Aryan Myth: A History of Racist and Nationalist Ideas in Europe" > > > > by Poliakov, ( London, Heineman 1974)? > > > > > > > > INDOLOGY, gm@A... wrote: > > > > > The so-called swastika is an old symbol found in many > > > > > cultures, not just Indo-European ones. In many cases it is > > > > > interpreted as a sun symbol, or more abstractly as > > > > > an auspicious sign. The direction of the rotation > > > > > varies, as do other aspects of the shape. > > > > > > > > > > Unfortunately, the Nazis hijacked a version of it for > > > > > their own ends. > > > > > > > > > > Indologists who had Nazi affiliations: sad chapter in > > > > > our history--not just Indologists but academia at large > > > > > underwent a traumatic period, and unfortunately not > > > > > just Indology but all other disciplines had their huge > > > > > share of Nazism. Nazism was a system that went > > > > > to great lengths and great detail in terms of social > > > > > control. Their control over the academic system was > > > > > extremely tight and policed increasingly rigidly. > > > > > A "wrong word" said in private could result in > > > > > deportation and death. There were even Nazi student > > > > > organisations who "helped" police the professors! > > > > > > > > > > European gypsies who to this day speak Indic languages > > > > > were relentlessly persecuted by the Nazis. > > > > > The Nazi machine, while singling out Jews specially, > > > > > actually persecuted not just along "Aryan" lines (they > > > > > had their own perverted idea of what "Aryan" meant), but > > > > > whoever they felt was hampering their perverted > > > > > cause. The mass murder they caused in Europe killed > > > > > more Indo-Europeans world-wide than all previous wars > > > > > in history taken together. No matter what their propaganda > > > > > machine was spreading, the effect on Indo-Europeans > > > > > and non-Indo-Europeans alike was totally catastrophic. > > > > > This was the case not just for all the IE-speaking nations > > > > > of Europe on whom the Nazis declared war, but also internally > > > > > in Germany itself. The concentration camps were full > > > > > of political opponents, members of religious communities, > > > > > individuals who refused to cooperate, and so on. > > > > > > > > > > Let's talk of something less depressing... > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > aishwaryannamboodiri wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Is there a study of the connection of Indology to the rise of > > Nazism > > > > > > in any reputable academic journal? e.g., why did the Nazis > > reverse the > > > > > > Swastika sign when they adopted it as their party emblem? Were > > any of > > > > > > the Indologists of the time sympathizers of the Nazi cause? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > indology- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Your use of is subject to > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > indology- > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Your use of is subject to > > > > > > > > indology- > > > > > > > > Your use of is subject to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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