Solidarity with David Graeber
This site is a collaborative effort of graduate and
undergraduate students affiliated with the Department of
Anthropology at Yale
University.
Latest news: Anarchist professor drops appeal, will leave Yale (AP, December 7, 2005)
David Graeber, Associate Professor in the Anthropology
Department at Yale University, was recently denied renewal of
his contract for unexplained reasons. Graeber has an
international reputation as a brilliant teacher and scholar,
having published two highly regarded books and dozens of
articles in a dozen languages and teaching some of the most
popular courses offered in the Yale Anthropology Department. As an activist and one of the
academy's few openly anarchist academics, his political engagement and
personal style are a unique contribution to Yale's
intellectual diversity and excellence.
Graeber is widely recognized as a leading anthropologist, social
theorist, and scholar of Madagascar and other areas. Maurice Bloch of the London School of Economics considers
Graeber "the best anthropological theorist of his generation
from anywhere in the world" (see
Bloch's letter of support). Graeber was recently invited to be
a keynote speaker at the 50th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee meeting
of the Association of Social Anthropologists in the United Kingdom and also to deliver the prestigious
Malinowski Lecture at the London School of Economics.
In May of 2005, a majority of senior faculty of the Yale Anthropology
Department voted not to renew Graeber's contract past the
first 2 years of a standard 4-year term as associate
professor, despite his having more than fulfilled the
requirements (see his own letter to Yale
Anthropology faculty, CV,
and explanation in Graeber's
words) and his enormous popularity among both graduate and
undergraduate students. It is extremely rare for an associate
professor's contract to be cut short of the standard 4 years,
and it is particularly startling considering Graeber's
outstanding qualifications. (This was not a question of
promotion to a tenured professorship or any other rank, but a
renewal of a current position, normally a formality.) In response,
on June 10th, Professor Graeber filed an appeal with the University Provost,
Andrew Hamilton, requesting University officials to review the case.
The reasons for denying his reappointment remain unclear: the
decision was made in secret (following Yale University policy)
and those who voted against him were not required to and have
not attempted to provide any justification. Despite repeated
attempts by graduate and undergraduate students in the
department to discuss the issue with senior faculty, no senior
faculty member who voted against Professor Graeber has
attempted to explain or justify their decision.
The American Association of University Professors recommends:
"In the event of a decision not to renew an appointment, the
faculty member should be informed of the decision in writing,
and, upon request, be advised of the reasons which contributed
to that decision. The faculty member should also have the
opportunity to request a reconsideration by the
decision-making body" (Statement
on Procedural Standards in the Renewal or Nonrenewal of
Faculty Appointments). Professor Graeber has been told,
however, that the reasons for non-renewal of his contract
cannot be disclosed.
Professor Graeber's case has already drawn overwhelming
support both from the Yale community and from around the
world. A significant majority of Yale Anthropology graduate
students have signed a petition
asking their faculty to renew Professor Graeber's contract.
Additionally, over 4,400 people so far—from preeminent
scholars to activists and readers of Graeber's work around the
world—have signed an open petition
supporting Professor Graeber. His case has also drawn media
attention (see Inside
Higher Ed: Early Exit, ZNet:
Support Graeber, by Andrej Grubacic, the interview
with Graeber at Counterpunch), and numerous scholars and
students have written letters of support (for example, see the
letters from Maurice Bloch of the
London School of Economics, faculty of the University of
Chicago, anthropologists from
the University of Sussex, faculty of the University of
Glasgow, Yale students,
more letters on menu to the left). Many more letters of
support have been sent to the department but have not been
sent to us.
If you would like to support David Graeber, you may sign the
petition
or send a letter to the Yale Anthropology department (see the
letters on this site for examples). Be sure to send a copy of
your letter to us (graebersolidarity@yahoo.com
or graeber.petition@gmail.com)
if you want it to be posted on this site.
Recognizing David Graeber's significant contributions to the
Yale community and to the wider scholarly community, we
strongly urge Yale University and the Yale University
Department of Anthropology to take all steps necessary to
ensure that David Graeber continues to remain a member of the
faculty of the Yale Department of Anthropology.