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Jonathan Marks

Jonathan Marks

Jonathan Marks is a Professor of Politics at Ursinus College and publishes in modern and contemporary political philosophy in journals like the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, the Journal of American Political Science, and the Review of Politics. He is the author of Perfection and Disharmony in the Thought of Jean Jacques Rousseau.

Marks also has written on higher education for InsideHigherEd, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Weekly Standard, and the Wall Street Journal. He blogs occasionally at Commentary Magazine.

All stories by: Jonathan Marks

Waiting for Cornel West
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Cornel West, Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard Divinity School, is, whatever one thinks of him, among the biggest names in American intellectual life. It was, therefore, a coup when he put himself, with Princeton’s Robert George,…

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Punish the Mob
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When Charles Murray came to Middlebury College on Thursday, Middlebury’s administration said the right thing. Murray’s work has long been controversial, particularly since he co-authored The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life. Although it was not a major…

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A Major BDS Fail
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As I reported last week, the Modern Language Association was considering at its annual convention a resolution endorsing an academic boycott of Israel. To judge by the crowing of its supporters after a town hall meeting on Friday, one might…

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The AAA Votes Down BDS
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Back in November, I wrote about an overwhelming vote – 1040 to 136 — in favor of BDS at the American Anthropological Association. Although the BDS resolution had to go to the full membership for endorsement, I did not think…

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This Is How You Fight BDS
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Having delivered the bad news that Vassar College’s administration is not doing enough to address anti-Semitism on its campus, I am glad to be able to report better news about the University of Minnesota. There, the local chapter of Students…

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Circling the Wagons at Vassar
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It has now been about a month since Jasbir Puar gave her infamous talk at Vassar College, about which I wrote here. Thanks to a strong reaction by Fairness to Israel, a Vassar alumni group, and the Academic Engagement Network…

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BDS Discredits Itself
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The boycott, divestment, sanctions movement has taken a special interest in Malaysia. That’s not surprising since Malaysia is an aggressive violator of rights. Its Sedition Law permits the government to intimidate its critics, and for this and other reasons it’s…

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Academics Vote for Embarrassment
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In a move that will surprise no one, the American Anthropological Association voted at its annual meeting overwhelmingly, 1040-36, to endorse the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement and to boycott Israeli colleges and universities. The resolution must be voted on by…

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The Snowballing of the BDS Movement
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Defenders of the BDS movement often claim, in spite of evidence to the contrary, that it is narrowly targeted. The cultural boycott of Israel, for example, supposedly targets only events or artists commissioned or funded by Israel. But just as…

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