On February 7, the Max Planck Institute announced the termination of its relationship with Professor Ghassan Hage because of his posts on social media ‘expressing views that are incompatible with the core values of the Max Planck Society.’ The official statement from the MPS concludes by noting that, ‘Racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, discrimination, hatred, and agitation have no place in the Max Planck Society.’

Professor Hage has been an esteemed Professor of Anthropology and Social Theory at the University of Melbourne for many years and, before that, at the University of Sydney. Over the course of a career of more than 35 years, he has demonstrated an ethically consistent, highly principled, and nuanced approach to thinking through the complexities of all forms of racism, including anti-semitism. He has always insisted that we think carefully about the diverse forms and manifestations of racism in different cultural contexts, the injuries it produces, and the politics that authorize and naturalize it, especially in settler-colonial contexts.

We, the undersigned, wish to affirm our solidarity with Professor Hage during this difficult time. He remains a leading voice in global debates about racism and ethno-nationalism.

We extend that solidarity to all those who, like Ghassan, work to deepen understanding of intellectual and ideological processes that threaten the rights and dignity of people everywhere. As Australian or Australia-based scholars, teachers and students, we call on our own academic institutions to protect intellectual freedoms at a time when free speech is increasingly under threat elsewhere.

Signed,

A/Prof Monica Minnegal, Anthropology, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Erin Fitz-Henry, Anthropology, University of Melbourne
Dr Dave McDonald, University of Melbourne
Dr Cynthia Sear, University of Melbourne
Dr Alexander D’Aloia, University of Melbourne
Dr Gillian Tan, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, Deakin University
A/Prof Diana Johns, The University of Melbourne
Dr Rebekah Plueckhahn, University of Melbourne
Dr Nadeem Malik, The University of Melbourne
Dr. Adrian Watts, Senior Tutor, University of Melbourne
Dr. Jeff Garmany, University of Melbourne
Dr Sarah Webb, University of Melbourne
Dr Claire Spivakovsky, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Tanya King, Deakin University
A/Prof Elise Klein, Australian National University
Professor Sarah Maddison, University of Melbourne
Dr Anne Décobert, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Rachel Hughes, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Martha Macintyre, The University of Melbourne
Professor Lan Anh Hoang, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Bart Klem, Gothenburg University
Prof Jonathan Goodhand, Professorial Research Fellow/Prof in Conflict and Development Studies, University of Melbourne/SOAS, University of London
A/Prof Hans A Baer, University of Melbourne
Dr Rachel Morgain, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Nick Thieberger, University of Melbourne
Dr Sahar Ghumkhor, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Karen Block, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Debra McDougall, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Juliet Rogers, University of Melbourne
Dr Ryan Gustafsson, The University of Melbourne
Dr Ben Gook, University of Melbourne
Dr Lutfun Lata, The University of Melbourne
Professor John Langmore AM, Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne
Dr. John Cash, University of Melbourne
Alec Scott, University of Melbourne
Dr John Cox, The University of Melbourne
Dr Liz Dean, University of Melbourne
Claire Zammit, University of Melbourne
Dr John Morton, La Trobe University
Dr Thomas McNamara, La Trobe University
Dr Violeta Schubert, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Tania King, University of Melbourne
Professor Niko Besnier, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology, Latrobe University
A/Prof Yasmine Musharbash, Australian National University
Ranu Kunwar, Australian National University
Dr Jean Kennedy, Australian National University
A/Prof Tanya Jakimow, The Australian National University
A/Prof Victoria Stead, Deakin University (Anthropology)
Dr Hayeon Lee, Australian National University
Dr John Taylor, La Trobe University
Dr Justine Chambers, Australian National University and Danish Institute for International Studies
Mohammad Ibrahim Khalad, Australian National University
A/Prof Timothy Neale, Anthropology, Deakin University
Professor Simon Batterbury, University of Melbourne & Lancaster University
Dr. Adam Sargent , Australian National University
A/Prof Natasha Fijn, The Australian National University
Christopher Marcatili, Australian National University
Giti Datt, Australian National University
Nicolás Villarroel, Australian National University
Dr Wajeehah Aayeshah , University of Melbourne
Dr Julia Dehm, La Trobe University
Keagan Ó Guaire, University of Melbourne
Emily Rosenthal, The University of Melbourne
Elizabeth Strakosch, University of Melbourne
Samantha O’Donnell, The University of Melbourne
Elodiea Wilson, University of Melbourne
Joshua Rose, University of Melbourne
Davinia Rizzo , University of Melbourne
Sana Ashraf, University of Melbourne
Professor Michael Herzfeld, Harvard, Leiden, Melbourne, and Rome II (Tor Vergata) Universities
Dr Michael Main, The Australian National University
Emeritus Professor Helen Lee, La Trobe University
Jemima McKenna, University of Melbourne
Dr. Lina Koleilat, Australian National University
A/Prof Signe Ravn, University of Melbourne
Louise Nisbet, Australian National University
Jill Pope, PhD student, University of Melbourne
Professor Chris Healy, The University of Melbourne
Dr Dan Tout, Federation University
Dr. Thiago Cintra Oppermann , ANU
Dr Randi Irwin, The University of Newcastle
Dr. Kari Dahlgren, Monash University
Dr Thao Phan, Monash University
Eleanor Benson, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Sally Babidge, The University of Queensland
Dr Jordana Silverstein, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Jasmine Westendorf, La Trobe University
Cristóbal Escobar, University of Melbourne
Dr. Mahesh White-Radhakrishnan, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney
Annisa R. Beta, University of Melbourne
Diana Glazebrook, Australian National University
Hugo Temby, Australian National University
Professor Tony Birch, University of Melbourne
Dr Sophie Chao, University of Sydney
Steven Threadgold, University of Newcastle
A/Prof Wendy Jell Haslem, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Crystal McKinnon, University of Melbourne
Dr Hannah McCann, University of Melbourne
Dr Nathan Gardner, University of Melbourne
Roberto Martin, University of Melbourne
Dr. Sophie Pezzutto, Australian National University
Professor Fran Martin, The University of Melbourne
Dr Archie Thomas, UTS Sydney
Dr Nonie May, The University of Melbourne
Anjalee Cohen, University of Sydney
Dr Pinar Fontini, University of Melbourne
Dr Gilbert Caluya, Deakin University
Dr Michael Edwards, University of Sydney
Dr Dylan Holdsworth, Deakin University
Dr Ashley Carruthers, The Australian National University
Dr Amy Spiers, RMIT
Dr Vanessa Bowden, University of Newcastle
Dr CQ Quinan, University of Melbourne
Dr Ben Silverstein, ANU
Dr Robbie Peters
Emeritus Professor Dennis Altman AM FASSA, LaTrobe University
Professor Wanning Sun, UTS
Professor James Goodman, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Luis Angosto-Ferrandez, University of Sydney
Widyana Perdhani, The University of Melbourne
A/Prof Christina Ho, University of Technology Sydney
Professor Bina Fernandez, University of Melbourne
Hristijan Popovski, University of Melbourne
Professor Wolfram Dressler, University of Melbourne
Briony Anderson, University of Melbourne
Dr Paul Byron, University of Technology Sydney
Professor Lorenzo Veracini, Swinburne University of Technology
Emeritus Professor Rodney Tiffen, University of Sydney
Dr Erin O’Donnell, University of Melbourne
Professor Gillian Cowlishaw, University of Sydney
Professor Tess Lea, Macquarie University
Dr. Piper Rodd, Deakin University
Dr Richard Davis, Independent
Stephi Hemelryk Donald, UTS
Dr Robyn Dwyer, La Trobe University
Dr Audrey Statham, Deakin University
Alfred Deakin Professor Andrea Witcomb, Deakin University
Emeritus Professor Louise Edwards, UNSW
Prof Stephen Muecke, UNSW
Dr Lucy Fiske, UTS
Dr. Jonathan Paul Marshall, University of Technology Sydney
Dr. Jay Daniel Thompson, RMIT University
Dr Bree Blakeman, The Australian National University
Jo Church, The University of Melbourne
Dr Jeremy Walker, University of Technology Sydney
Amanda Porter, University of Melbourne
Prof Cristina Rocha, Western Sydney University
Emeritus Professor Tamara Jacka, Australian National University
Dr David Boarder Giles, Deakin University
Prof Seán Cubitt, University of Melbourne
Dr Lisa Stefanoff, Independent
Dr Odette Kelada, University of Melbourne
Dr Janice Loreck, University of Melbourne
Henk Rumbewas, Free Papua Movement (OPM) Australia
Dr Siobhan Irving, UTS
Dr Sarah Attfield, University of Technology Sydney
Martin Newman, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Kathleen Openshaw, Western Sydney University
Professor Shuji Iijima, Kyushu university
Dr Justine Lloyd, Macquarie University
Dr Kalpana Ram, Visiting Professor, Australian National University
Dr Declan Kuch, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Dr Divya Garg, The University of Melbourne
Dr Claire Loughnan, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Nicole Matthews, Macquarie University
Sobia Masood, The University of Melbourne
Professor Douglas Kahn, University of Sydney
Mr Josiah Lulham, University of Melbourne
Sidrah McCarthy, La Trobe University Alumni
Professor Senka Bozic Vrbancic, Anthropology, University of Zadar
Professor Devleena Ghosh, University of Technology Sydney
Simon Vandestadt, University of Melbourne
Dr Mark Galliford, Independent Scholar
Professor Jennifer Deger, Charles Darwin University
Professor Emeritus Linda Connor, University of Sydney
Dr Anthea Vogl, University of Technology Sydney
Emeritus Professor Jane Kenway, Monash University
Katherine Russo, University of Naples L’Orientale
Angela Zito, New York University
Persis Karim, San Francisco State University
Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, Macquarie University
George Morgan, Western Sydney University
Professor Rosita Henry, James Cook University
Dr. Annika Lems, Australian National University
Mr Julian Cleary, Unaffiliated
Francesca Merlan, Australian National University
Dr David Coady, University of Tasmania
Dr Malita Allan
Dr diane losche, UNSW (retired)
Justin Lau, Australian National University
Dr Peter Phipps, RMIT University, Melbourne
Professor Chris Gregory, Australian National University
Dr Debbi Long, Wollotuka Institute, University of Newcastle
Dr Kate Wright
Sherine Hamdy, Professor, University of California Irvine
Jade Anderson, Australian National University
Dr Kajsa Lundberg
Dr. Neil Maclean, University of Sydney
A/Prof Bianca Fileborn, University of Melbourne
Professor Fiona Haines, University of Melbourne
Connie Gibbons
Jill Pope, University of Melbourne, School of Social and Political Sciences
Morgan Jones, University of Melbourne
Dr Marcus Banks, University of Tasmania
Dr Tami Gadir, Lecturer, RMIT University, Melbourne
Melissa Laing, RMIT University
Dr Lisa Radford , VCA, University of Melbourne
Dr Mathew Abbott, Senior Lecturer in Humanities, Federation University Australia
Dr Kathryn Ticehurst, University of Melbourne
Dr Tarek Makhlouf, The University of Melbourne
Tony Williams, Monash University
Maria Matheas , University of Melbourne
Conor Brett, University of Melbourne
Aaron Cv Rees, University of Melbourne
Joshua Barnes, University of Melbourne
Tristen Harwood, VCA (University of Melbourne)
Phoebe Hayman, La Trobe University
Eugenia Lim, University of Melbourne
Dr Maurice Windleburn, University of Melbourne
itene hanenbergh, vca
Dr Masato Takasaka, VCA, University of Melbourne
Nina Gilbert, The University of Melbourne
Buthaina Shaheen, PhD candidate
Rita Manessis, La Trobe University
Tom Short, RMIT
A/Prof Nick Cheesman, Australian National University
Alana Scully, The University of Melbourne
Dr Klara Hansen
Azza Zein, University of Melbourne
Laura Bisaillon, University of Toronto
Mateo Taussig-Rubbo, State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law
Andrew Stapleton, Librarian, Deakin
Rosie Isaac, The University of Melbourne
Dr Jenna Mead, University of Melbourne
Dr Tania Miletic, University of Melbourne
Ann Debono, tutor in Fine Art, University of Melbourne
Mx Archie Barry, The University of Melbourne
dr raafat ishak, University of Melbourne
Katie Paine, University of Melbourne
MP Fikaris, University of Melbourne
Dr Sudiipta Dowsett, University of New South Wales
Tori Ball, The University of Melbourne
Prof Ben Highmore, University of Sussex
Dr Rebecca Howe, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Ruth Morgan, Australian National University
Sam Scott, Curtin University
Andrew Fahey, Australian National University
Tiara Marthias, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
Dr Shakira Hussein , the University of Melbourne
Emerita Professor Margaret Jolly, The Australian National University
Diana Tung, ANU
Kathryn Allan, Australian National University
Dr Eve Vincent, Macquarie University
Dr Robin Cameron, RMIT University
Dinith Adikari, Australian National University
Mr James Hazel, University of Sydney
Dr Julia Scott-Stevenson, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Elena Benthaus, University of Melbourne
Dr Katherine Curchin, Australian National University
Dr Clare Land, Victoria University
Dr Astrid Lorange, UNSW
Dr Andrew Brooks, UNSW
Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, Adjunct University of South Australia
Honorary Professor Roger Markwick, The University of Newcastle
Sebastian Antoine Salay, University of Melbourne
Dr. Eunseon Kim, Australian National University
Dr Gretchen Stolte, University of Western Australia
Dr Aaron Teo – Lecturer in Curriculum and Pedagogy, The University of Southern Queensland School of Education
Dr Joshua Garfield, Monash University
Dr Jack Kirne, NTEU
Emeritus Professor Christine Helliwell, Australian National University
Dr Jennifer Hamilton, University of New England
Patrick Guinness, Australian National University
Dr Charishma Ratnam, Deakin University
Emily Foley, La Trobe University
Dr Nicole Oke, Victoria University
A/Prof Miriam Bankovsky, La Trobe University
Dr Carolyn D’Cruz, La Trobe University
Nayahamui Rooney, Australian National University
Dr Kate Davison, University of Edinburgh
John Gillies, University of New South Wales
Dr M Keynes, University of Melbourne
Michael Dunford, Australian National University
Distinguished Professor Ien Ang, Western Sydney University
Professor Heather Horst, Western Sydney University
A/Prof Tanja Dreher, UNSW
Emeritus Professor Tony Coady, University of Melbourne
Pule Welch, University of Cape Town
Emeritus Professor Tim Rowse, Western Sydney University
Dr. Phillip Mar, University of Western Sydney
Emeritus Professor Gay Hawkins, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Cecelia Cmielewski, Western Sydney University
Francesca Sidoti, Western Sydney University
Dr. Valentina Baú, Western Sydney University
Dr. Anthea Snowsill, The Australian National University
A/Prof Tanya Notley, Western Sydney University
Prof Greg Noble, Western Sydney University
A/Prof Michael Richardson, UNSW
Professor R. Harindranath, UNSW
Dr Giles Fielke, Monash University
Dr Iqbal Barkat, Senior Lecturer in Screen Production, Macquarie University
A/Prof Sukhmani Khorana, UNSW
Professor Sharon Bell, ANU
Dr Nicholas Ng, Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Dr. Anya Daly, University of Tasmania
Dr Emma Mitchell, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Maeve Powell, Australian National University
Nina Serova, University of Melbourne
Dr Fouzieyha Towghi, Australian National University
A/Prof Liam Magee, Western Sydney University
Professor Sarah Phillips, The University of Sydney
Dr Jenna Condie, Western Sydney University
Boya Li, Western Sydney University
Professor Paul James, Western Sydney University
Professor Matthew Fitzpatrick, Flinders University
Dr Lucy Van, University of Melbourne
Dr Jelena Kupsjak, University of Zadar
Dr Christopher Mayes, Deakin University
Sen Nilanjana, University of Melbourne
Dr Nadia Niaz, The University of Melbourne
Dr Lachlan Summers, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Sinead Wilson, Australian National University
Dr Bishnu Lamichhane, University of Newcastle
Terri Ann Quan Sing, La Trobe University
Dr Benjamin Hegarty, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney and the University of Melbourne
Professor Tania Lewis, RMIT University
Dr Alison Gibberd, University of Melbourne
Dr. Antonina Gentile, Macquarie University
Dylan Lino, University of Queensland
Dr Suneel Jethani, University of Technology Sydney
Dr David McInerney, Décalages: An Althusser Studies Journal
Dr Kim Alley, University of Melbourne
Professor Dimitris Vardoulakis, Western Sydney University
Dr Jessica Marian, University of Melbourne
Dr Christopher O’Neill, Monash University
Srishti Chatterjee, University of Melbourne
Nina Serova, PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne
Dr Helen Ngo, Deakin University
Dr. Blaž Bajič, University of Ljubljana
Professor Bojan Baskar, University of Ljubljana
Robyn Gould, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Jessica Gerrard, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Alenka Bartulovic, University of Ljubljana
Professor Rajko Muršič, University of Ljubljana, Dept. of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology
Emeritus Professor Steve Mickler, Curtin University
Nathan Fioritti, Monash University
Dr. Tina Ivnik, University of Ljubljana
Lic. Juan de Jager, University of Ljubljana
Miha Kozorog, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana
Caroline Yezer, Independent Scholar
A/Prof Camilla Nelson, University of Notre Dame Australia
A/Prof Sally Baker, Australian National University
Professor Yoshikazu Shiobara, Keio University
Professor Denis Byrne, Western Sydney University
Dr Stuart Richards, The University of South Australia
Dr. Andrew Burridge, Macquarie University
Dr Paola Balla, Victoria University
Dr Daniele Fulvi, Western Sydney university
Dr Rachel Busbridge, Australian Catholic University
A/Prof Jayne Persian, University of Southern Queensland
Gemma Tarpey-Brown, University of Melbourne
Hon. Professor Colin Filer, Australian National University
Adjunct A/Prof Daphne Habibis, University of Tasmania
Professor Emeritus John Clark, University of Sydney
Dr Samuel Cox, University of Adelaide
Professor Warwick H Anderson, University of Sydney
Frances Shaw, Swinburne University of Technology
Dr Yasmin Tambiah, Western Sydney University
Dr Tuba Boz, RMIT University
Emeritus Professor Roberta Julian, University of Tasmania
Emeritus Professor Richard Eves, Australian National University
Pelaya Arapakis, The University of Melbourne
Judith Grbich, University of Melbourne
Professor Andrew McWilliam, Western Sydney University
Emeritus Professor Deborah Stevenson, Western Sydney University
Dr Muhyeefin Alabdeli, University of Technology,Baghdad,Iraq,previously.
Dr Timothy Laurie, School of Communication, UTS
Dr Joshua Pocius, The University of Melbourne
Dr Michael O’Kane, Latrobe UniversityEmeritus
Professor David Rowe, Western Sydney University
Dr Alex Norman, Graduate Research School, Western Sydney University
Dr Mridula Nath Chakraborty, Monash
Nick Ross, Independent scholar
Dr Anthony Jefferies, Australian National University (alumni)
Dr Stephen Burrell, University of Melbourne
Dr Benjamin Madden, University of Adelaide
Dr habil Katja Müller, Merseburg University of Applied Sciences / University of Technology Sydney
Dr Nick Pendergrast, The University of Melbourne
Dr Micaela Pattison, Flinders University
A/Prof Piers Gooding, La Trobe University
Dr Liam Ward, RMIT University
Professor Kim Humphery, Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University
Professor kylie valentine, UNSW Sydney
Dr Ying Xin Show, Australian National University
Dr Simon Chambers, Western Sydney University
Professor Marie Brennan, University of South Australia
Sarah Ball, University of Melbourne
Kai Tanter, University of Melbourne
Professor Fazal Rizvi, University of Melbourne
Professor Robert Hassan, University of Melbourne
Dr Carlos Morreo, Trinity College, University of Melbourne
Dr Marc Mierowsky, University of Melbourne
Dr Julie Macken, University Western Sydney
Professor Robyn Eckersley, University of Melbourne
A/Prof Gyorgy Scrinis, University of Melbourne
Fiannuala Morgan, Lecturer, University of Melbourne
Dr Stefan Horarik, University of New England
Professor Hart Cohen, Western Sydney University
Kelly Herbison, The University of Melbourne
Charlotte Okkes-Sane, University of Sydney
Myra Mentari Abubakar, Australian National University
Mark Gawne, UTS
Dr Anna Barrett, University of Melbourne
Dr Jane Hanley, Macquarie University
Biljana Kasic, professor (RtD), Centre for Women’s Studies, Zagreb/Croatia
Danijela Paska, PhD Candidate (MA), University of Zadar
Dr Caitlin Nunn, Manchester Metropolitan University
Dr Liam Gillespie, University of Melbourne
Dr Dave Pollock, University of Melbourne
Dr Michael Morgan, University of Melbourne
Tyler Gleason, University of Melbourne
Dr Soon-Tzu Speechley, University of Melbourne
Brenna Dempsey, Monash University
Dr Andrew Whelan, University of Wollongong
A/Prof Mary Zournazi, UNSW
Edie McAsey, University of Melbourne
Jesse Dyer, University of Melbourne
Luara Karlson-Carp, University of Melbourne
Kathleen Pleasants, University of Melbourne
Dr Matthew Horsley, Monash University
Mr. Nicholas Sgro-Traikovski, The University of Melbourne
Dr Ann El Khoury, University of Sydney
Olivia Tasevski, University of Melbourne
Jackie Doughty, University of Melbourne
Dr Sophie Knezic, University of Melbourne
Dr Geoffrey Mead, Monash University
Dove Rengger-Thorpe, University of Melbourne
Georgina Ward, University of Melbourne
Miriam Webster, The University of Melbourne
Rasheed Khan, UNSW Sydney
Ilaria Walker, Monash University
Dr. Housamedden Darwish, Cologne University
A/Prof Heather Benbow, University of Melbourne

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