Censored Scholar Marek Jan Chodakiewicz Bojemski

O Polskich Studiach Historycznych w Stanach Zjednoczonych–Przypadek  Prof. Marka Jana Chodakiewicza, by John Radzilowski. 2010

The Censorship of Historian Marek Jan Chodakiewicz in Academia—All Because He Dissents From the Prevailing Standard Narrative on Polish-Jewish Relations

The following is from an authorized English-language version of the following scholarly article: “O polskich studiach historycznych w Stanach Zjednoczonych–przypadek prof. Marka Jana Chodakiewicza”, by historian John Radzilowski. It is published in the GLAUKOPIS historical monograph (Number 19/20, 2010, pp. 278-285).

By way of introduction, censorship does not have to be narrowly limited to the government criminalization of unwelcome viewpoints. Censorship can also occur in academia whenever there is a deliberate obstruction of the free exchange of ideas. After all, the freedom of expression and freedom to express ideas is the very essence of what academia is supposed to be all about!

A SUMMARY OF THE GROSS INJUSTICE TO THE INDEPENDENT-THINKING HISTORIAN CHODAKIEWICZ

Historian Jan Radzilowski writes, “Nevertheless, there appear from time to time cases of academic abuse so egregious that they violate even the most basic sense of fairness and decency. Into this category we must place the case of Prof. Marek Jan Chodakiewicz, a younger, productive scholar of modern Polish history who has been the victim of a systematic effort to destroy his career, deny him the ability to publish in his field, get him banned from conferences and speaking engagements at public institutions, and blacken his reputation all with the apparent goal of denying him the ability to operate as a scholar in his field. This effort has been conducted by colleagues in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as political opponents in his native Poland.”

THE SLANDER OF HISTORIAN MAREK JAN CHODAKIEWICZ

Historian Radzilowski discusses the extreme measures used the detractors, “However, the basic claims made these reviews are that Prof. Chodakiewicz is a blind apologist for ‘Polish crimes’ and for extreme ‘ethno-nationalism,’ that he excuses or even favors the murder of Jews, and that he does so claiming that Jews are responsible for communism in Poland. From this, Prof. Chodakiewicz’ s attackers are able to suggest or even claim that he is an anti-Semite. Each of these claims is demonstrably false and in some cases are even deployed against books in which Prof. Chodakiewicz argues PRECISELY THE OPPOSITE from what is claimed as his position.”(Emphasis added).

THE SPLC (SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER) GETS IN THE ACT

After describing various specifics about university professors trying to get Chodakiewicz removed from positions, Radzilowski puts icing on the cake as he writes, “More recently, Prof. Chodakiewicz has been personally attacked by Prof. Gross and Prof. Piotr Wróbel. This occurred on the website of a far-left wing American organization, the Southern Law and Poverty Center. Prof. Wróbel’s remarks are particularly bizarre. While admitting that Prof. Chodakiewcz has never done or said anything anti-Semitic, he states “There is no doubt whatsoever that he doesn’t like the Jews. This amounts to nothing other than character assassination of the lowest and most unethical sort.” Yeah, no kidding. But who cares?

At the time of the writing of this review (March 2019), the attack on Chodakiewicz is still present on the SPLC website:

Note the insinuations that Chodakiewicz does not belong in any of the positions that he holds! In addition, the informed reader realizes that, just as in the SPLC hatchet job above, radical-leftist and onetime anarchist Rafal Pankowski continues to be widely quoted, in academia and media, as some kind of pontifical authority figure on Poland, especially on the subject of Polish ‘hate’ .

ENFORCING ACADEMICS’ CONFORMITY TO THE LEWACTWO

Professor Radzilowski continues, “Research in modern Polish history, especially in English-speaking countries, has become dominated by a neo-Stalinist school of historiography. Historians in this school are usually but not exclusively left-of-center. They emphasize Polish history of the past 100 years as largely an exercise in nationalist extremism and anti-Semitism. They claim with varying degrees of emphasis that Poles were collaborators with the Nazi occupation of their own country, complicit in or highly sympathetic to the extermination of the Jews, and downplay or ignore periods of Soviet occupation. The neo-Stalinist approach is heavily influenced by post-modernism and most neo-Stalinists view scholarship instrumentally. In other words, the goal of scholarship is to change present-day Polish society which they view as largely backward and excessively Catholic. The most important neo-Stalinist scholar is Prof. Jan T. Gross whose previous two books have been highly praised by sympathetic reviewers for forcing the type of change in cultural and social discourse in and about Poland that they view as desirable.”

THE JUDEOCENTRIC-UNWELCOME TRUTH ABOUT POLAND IS WHAT IS ULTIMATELY BEING CENSORED

Radzilowski hits the nail right on the head as he assesses the real motive behind the censorship of Professor Chodakiewicz, “First of all, the concerted attack on Prof. Chodakiewicz represents more than just an assault on one individual but a frontal assault on clear, accurate and disinterested research and writing on history of Poland in the English-speaking world.”

Such censorship, as intended, exerts an obvious chilling effect on any scholar, of any nationality, who deviates from the party line on the ever-innocent Jewish victim and the ever-villainous Catholic Pole. On the other hand, a Pole is “good” whenever he agrees with the standard Judeocentric and left-wing lines on Poles and Poland. This is part of the usual PEDAGOGIKA WSTYDU (name and shame).

ORWELLIAN LABELING AND DELEGITIMIZATION OF SCHOLARS WHO DISSENT FROM THE RULING NARRATIVE ON POLISH-JEWISH RELATIONS

The perceptive criticisms, by Professor Jan Radzilowski, can very much be extended,  “Objections or criticisms of Gross’ works are viewed as ethno-nationalist apologetics and critics are written off as anti-Semites.” Surprise. Surprise.

The injustices faced by historian Marek Jan Chodakiewicz can be extended. Anyone familiar with academia today is aware of the fact that Polish scholars who dissent from the standard narrative are summarily dismissed as “nationalists” . [If so, then why don’t the scholars on the other side candidly identify themselves as cultural Marxists, LEWAKS, or Judeo-compliant?]

PROFESSOR JAN RADZILOWSKI HIMSELF FEARED CENSORSHIP, OR WORSE, FOR SPEAKING OUT

Why now? Radzilowski explains, “Since I have known about and personally witnessed aspects of this blacklisting campaign for some time, it may be fairly charged that I should have presented these facts to the public much earlier. I admit that my prior status as an adjunct professor with a family to support played a role in not speaking out earlier.”