2008 Woodie Awards
Oldest and Largest Historical Association Wants End to Iraq War
Ben Fox
Issue date: 5/9/07 Section: News
History has recently been made. In an unprecedented step, a group of professional academics has come out in open opposition to the war in Iraq.
The American Historical Association, or AHA, announced a resolution March 12 denouncing the ongoing U.S. involvement in Iraq and "condemning government violations of civil liberties linked to the war in Iraq," according to their press release.
"The outcome indicates the deep disquiet scholars feel about damage done to scholarly inquiry and democratic processes by this misbegotten war," said Alan Dawley, professor of history at the College of New Jersey and a former winner of the Bancroft Prize. He was also the initial mover of the resolution.
This kind of opposition to U.S. foreign policy has never come about in AHA history, some 118 years, according to current members. Never before has an entire group of academics, for that matter, spoken out publicly against a war, even during the unpopular Vietnam War. This could mark a turning point in one of the most unpopular wars in American history, or it could just as well end up another distant dissenting voice in a closed eardrum.
"Nothing's going to change because of this," said David Foote, a junior at Castleton State College. "I'm a pessimist and a cynic when it comes to this country."
Dawley, however, has more optimistic hopes for the resolution and its future.
"The American Studies Association has taken a similar stand," he said. "We are urging our colleagues to press their professional bodies for similar action."
"We had gotten free speech resolution passed in 2004 and we knew there was strong objection among scholars to violations of civil liberties," Dawley continued. "We believed it was important to link those to the imperial behavior of the Bush administration ...We drafted a statement that could be supported by members across the political spectrum."
Voting on the resolution was held March 1-9, 2007, and results were announced March 12. It was originally accepted for voting by the Council at the Jan. 6, 2007 annual council meeting in Atlanta. The resolution was originally proposed by members of Historians Against the War, of which Dawley is a member. It's a national network of more than 2,000 scholars on more than 400 campuses. The vote was 1,550 (75.61 percent) in favor and 498 (24.29 percent) opposed.
The American Historical Association, or AHA, announced a resolution March 12 denouncing the ongoing U.S. involvement in Iraq and "condemning government violations of civil liberties linked to the war in Iraq," according to their press release.
"The outcome indicates the deep disquiet scholars feel about damage done to scholarly inquiry and democratic processes by this misbegotten war," said Alan Dawley, professor of history at the College of New Jersey and a former winner of the Bancroft Prize. He was also the initial mover of the resolution.
This kind of opposition to U.S. foreign policy has never come about in AHA history, some 118 years, according to current members. Never before has an entire group of academics, for that matter, spoken out publicly against a war, even during the unpopular Vietnam War. This could mark a turning point in one of the most unpopular wars in American history, or it could just as well end up another distant dissenting voice in a closed eardrum.
"Nothing's going to change because of this," said David Foote, a junior at Castleton State College. "I'm a pessimist and a cynic when it comes to this country."
Dawley, however, has more optimistic hopes for the resolution and its future.
"The American Studies Association has taken a similar stand," he said. "We are urging our colleagues to press their professional bodies for similar action."
"We had gotten free speech resolution passed in 2004 and we knew there was strong objection among scholars to violations of civil liberties," Dawley continued. "We believed it was important to link those to the imperial behavior of the Bush administration ...We drafted a statement that could be supported by members across the political spectrum."
Voting on the resolution was held March 1-9, 2007, and results were announced March 12. It was originally accepted for voting by the Council at the Jan. 6, 2007 annual council meeting in Atlanta. The resolution was originally proposed by members of Historians Against the War, of which Dawley is a member. It's a national network of more than 2,000 scholars on more than 400 campuses. The vote was 1,550 (75.61 percent) in favor and 498 (24.29 percent) opposed.
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