J WEEKLY -- Marc Dollinger, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair in Jewish Studies and Social Responsibility at San Francisco State University, writes an op-ed responding to recent comments by scholars regarding Zionism.
“In the wake of the social protest movements of the 1960s, scholars in various ethnic studies disciplines challenged the university’s classical mission as a neutral center for academic discourse,” Dollinger writes. “Especially among scholars of color, the notion of a university marketplace of ideas immune from the rough and tumble of politics proved naive at best. The purpose of education, they believed, centered on advocating social change in one’s scholarship, teaching and civic engagement. Higher education promised to teach young people about the root causes of inequity and inspire them to do something about it. Our own San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies grew from this perspective.”