Title VI needs oversight

Submitted by Dr. Laina Farhat-Holzman (United States), Jun 25, 2003 at 11:42

I was the recipient of the NDEA Title IV, and appreciated its support of my graduate studies. I have also been a member of the Middle East Studies Association and can verify that there has been an overwhelming influence by Edward Said. Scholars are afraid of him and everyone tip-toes around issues in fear of incurring his wrath.

I withdrew from that association a decade ago, and know no other association that has taken its place that I could join.

I do know the Defense Language Institute, and think that their language programs are terrific and should be supported. However, they do not do the other scholarly things: the history, political science, and anthropology of the Middle East. There is no substitute for a good university in such a case--and something does need to be done to fix this.

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