Comments on: Latour in the French debate on university reform

By: ginette ruetschi

ginette ruetschi — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:19:19 +0000

interesting.women have become free only for 50 years so suddenly a scarf and a veil and a burka are reminders of a too fresh second rank position in the society. it hurts and scares.

By: ginette ruetschi

ginette ruetschi — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:14:49 +0000

hi maryam j’ai perdu ton numero et adresse peux tu me les envoyer car je dois te parler comment va farid et tapa ecris moi bises ginette

By: Maryam Dominique Ghassemi

Maryam Dominique Ghassemi — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:40:45 +0000

Well, I don’t think moderation is possible.The world is ablaze because of economical reasons, of course, which are not clearly explained to the public but also because of lack of understanding of other’s ethnical traditions. The scarf in France is a symbol of what I said. Personnally I loathe it but why do young French girls insist on wearing it? I don’t think it is for deep religious reasons.I believe it is because they have been rejected by middle class French society so they react. They are French, they have the same rights than other French girls but they are rejected because of a slight accent when they speak, because of a name. Lots of French know the ‘beurs’ and respect them. But those French belong to the old generation. Now things are becoming worse.

By: Maryam Dominique Ghassemi

Maryam Dominique Ghassemi — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:05:09 +0000

May I know what you mean by moderation?

By: Maryam Dominique Ghassemi

Maryam Dominique Ghassemi — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:03:57 +0000

Having been away from France for a few months, reading Mr. Latour’s article is like a breath of fresh air. Universities and research is more and more linked to the necessities of the market. So what is going to happen to such studies as sociology, anthropology, human sciences and even art? They have started to be neglected since the end of the 1980ies except when they serve productivity. Psychology is also included in this package. And what about understanding and tolerance then? Racial prejudice comes from fear and lack of understanding of others. It was increasing dramatically when I left, last August. I am going back in June and fear what is awaiting me. Labels tattoed on people’s bodies telling how useful they are to the economy? Are we forgetting certain historical facts that happened not so long ago?

By: ponocrates

ponocrates — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:59:38 +0000

One last thing, the position of Bruno Latour is not really to reject the governement’s reforms. He is much more ambiguous on that issue. For example, the strongest criticism of the reform Latour formulated in his article in Le Monde was that it is “lacking audacity”.

Latour’s article is here :

http://www.lemonde.fr/opinions/article/2009/02/25/autonomie-que-de-crimes-on-commet-en-ton-nom-par-bruno-latour_1160199_3232.html

By: ponocrates

ponocrates — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:37:59 +0000

Hi. I think i might help a bit here.

“it appears that Calame sees the state-imposed audit system as a guarantee of taxpayers’ control over publicly financed institutions, which is exactly the freemarketist justification that audit systems use everywhere, in both state-financed and non-state-financed systems(…)”

In the sentences you are referring to, the author makes the point that citizens (not “tax-payers”) have a legitimacy to control public institutions, and can do so through the democratic state, whereas citizens cannot, as such, control market-driven and privatized institutions.

And the context is not (yet ?) that “universities’ liberties are now limited to the liberties of/in the market”, but rather that many professors and students opposes some “reforms” induced by the government (and the so-called “Bologna Process”) that tends precisely to realize that state of affairs.

As for more serious discussions, i can not help anymore.

By: Galen S

Galen S — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:30:30 +0000

What a surprise, the French professors are striking again! Every time I go to France teachers are protesting something, it’s rather refreshing, if obnoxious to students.