The campaign to save our philosophy programmes has just won a partial but significant victory: Kingston University in south-west London announced today that it will re-establish our Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy (CRMEP) at Kingston, by employing the four senior staff in Philosophy at Middlesex (Eric Alliez, Peter Hallward, Peter Osborne and Stella Sandford). Our MA and PhD programmes (full-time and part-time) will be re-launched at Kingston this September, and all current post-graduate students will be invited to move along with the staff. Institutions in France and Germany have also made significant new proposals for collaboration with the CRMEP, which may allow it to expand the European dimensions of its work considerably in the near future.
Read the entire statement here
See also the comments on this THE article for debate about the many issues involved.
UPDATE W 9 June, 1:20 pm CDT: read the Kingston University statement here. See also this WSJ article on changes in the UK system concerning fees and endowments.
UPDATE W 9 June, 4:50 pm CDT: several of the commenters have been critical of the CRMEP move. I don't subscribe to their point of view. I endorse what Barry Rogers says in his comment:
I understand the sentiment of some of the more critical remarks here. But, if viewed soberly, the move of the CRMEP to Kingston can be seen as an opportunity to continue the protest against MDX in a more stable manner, rather than as a defeat of some sort. Yes, the primary ‘aim’ of saving philosophy at MDX has not been achieved, but it seems that this was a very high and unlikely aim, given the sheer pig-headedness of the management at MDX (who are the real ‘enemy’ here). It seems to me that the management were merely stalling, and waiting for the summer so they could push through their cuts in relative peace (relative to the last month or so). If they had any other intention they would have given some substantive indication of that before now.
Transferring the CRMEP to Kingston, however, gives four of the main players in this protest (Hallward et al) a much more stable position from which to continue their campaign, without fear of arbitrary reprisals by their own employers, or indeed fear for their own futures. They have gained a certain distance, in this regard, which can potentially allow them, if they choose, to bring proper legal action against MDX on their own behalf, on behalf of the students (as per Anthony’s point above), or on behalf of the two staff members left at MDX. The MDX management has clearly acted illegally throughout this campaign, and something needs to be done about that; university managers need to know they can’t behave in this way and get away with it. Unfortunately, the only language they are likely to understand is that of the lawsuit. To begin and work through such legal action takes time and resources. Perhaps from this more stable position, the likes of Hallward and Osborne can devote some time to co-ordinating this. And they can, of course, with others continue an offensive against the conduct of MDX through the media. They also need to work to get that remaining research funding transferred over to Kingston, if at all possible.
It would not help anyone, least of all the students and staff left at MDX, to get angry at this ‘transfer’. Rather, it should be seen as an opportunity to regroup and begin a more concerted campaign against MDX that can last much longer and do much long term good.
