Alumni Association University of Michigan Winter 2010 : Page 35their midst,” says Mario Ruiz, PhD’04, an assistant professor of modern Middle Eastern history at Hofstra University who sought to study with Cole after completing his master’s in Middle Eastern studies at Harvard. He adds that anyone who knows Cole knows he’s committed to rigorous and objective scholarship. “[He] has traveled extensively in South Asia and the Middle East and doesn’t confine his knowledge solely to scholarly books and articles.” It was Cole’s clear, outspoken prose—available to anyone with Internet access—that was the subject of much discussion in 2006 when he was passed over for an appointment at Yale University. “Potential outside offers from the Ivy League are never a bad thing,” says Cole, noting it’s not the first time he’s received an inquiry in his 25 years at U-M. “Professors are like baseball players who are always being looked at by other teams.” Yet an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education titled “Can Blogging Derail Your Career? 7 Bloggers Discuss the Case of Juan Cole,” suggests that Cole was rejected because opinions expressed in his blog clashed with the viewpoint of “right- wing hit men.” That subject is ancient history to Cole, who appreciates that U-M gave him the Hudson Research Professorship of History to write his 2007 book, “Napoleon’s Egypt: Invading the Middle East,” and continues to allow him to pursue his academic interests entirely unfettered. He was also recently appointed director of the U-M Center for South Asian Studies and is the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History. “I think it’s unfortunate that the phrase ‘ivory tower’ has some substance to it,” he says. “The assumptions we made in the days before the Internet were that you get a Fulbright, do your research, write up the research in analytical form essentially for other researchers, publish it in small press runs and declare that you’ve made contributions to disseminate your research.” He says that whole model is deeply flawed. “I respect deep research and academic writing. At the same time, I’ve discovered there is a public that’s thirsty for academic analysis which can be reached if one writes clearly.” that’s thirsty for academic analysis.” Shaun Lopez, PhD’04, an assistant professor of history at the University of Washington, says Cole’s greatest value is that he engenders thoughtful debate, which he considers the cornerstone of an institute of higher education. “You certainly don’t have to agree with him, but his public stances on issues do force individuals and institutions to take into account an informed viewpoint,” says Lopez. A California native, Lopez was studying Arabic in Jordan when Cole called Lopez to discuss his interest in graduate school. “That he took the time to call all the way to Amman was instrumental in my final decision to come to Ann Arbor.” “There is a public Then and Now: Juan Cole’s Train of Thought Since April 2002, Juan Cole has chronicled the war in Afghanistan via his blog, Informed Comment. In October, we asked him to revisit some of his blog posts. Tuesday, April 30, 2002 (six months after the US launched Operation Enduring Freedom): “As an Army brat myself, I am proud of the achievements of our men and women in the armed services, who have saved us from dire threats to our liberty. I strongly support our military effort in Afghanistan.” Today: “Afghanistan was done the right way. We didn’t send tanks up the Khyber Pass. We gave close air support to the Northern Alliance and helped them to remove the Taliban and got rid of the al-Qaida training camps. How this turned into an occupation of Afghanistan I don’t know.” Monday, September 11, 2006 (on the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks): “US cooperation with Middle Eastern governments is at a high level, from all accounts. The operation against Abu Musab al-Zarqawi [a high- ranking al-Qaida militant killed in June 2006] appears to have been very significantly a Jordanian operation. Egypt and the US conduct joint military exercises. I have a sense that the relationship with Morocco has deepened. Algeria's government fought a decade-long civil war against Islamist political forces, some of them very violent, and has reason to cooperate.” Today: Cole says the cooperation in fighting radicals in terrorism is still there and has deepened since 2006. “In the framework of governmental cooperation to defeat Muslim extremists I think there is good cooperation.” Thursday, October 8, 2009 (as President Obama decided whether to increase troop levels in Afghanistan): “Russia Today reports that President Obama has ruled out slashing the US troop contingent in Afghanistan. So now the question is whether he will yield to Gen. Stanley McChrystal's request for 40,000 more troops. Meanwhile, NATO is pressuring Russia to supply more equipment and training to Afghanistan army troops. That is one of those ironic, science-fictional sentences that non-fiction authors seldom get to pen.” Today: “NATO pressuring Russia to go into Afghanistan,” muses Cole, a science fiction buff who sees that statement as unlikely as anything penned in Science Fiction Chronicle. “All along the blog has had a conversational quality. Whatever success it has is partially owing to that personal element. Fiction writers talk about developing a voice. It’s the same in blogging. A little bit of irreverence has been part of the blog all along.” Michigan Alumnus • Winter 2010 • umalumni.com | 35 Publication List |
