The author has chosen to leave this space blank as a small gesture in support of Dr. Valentina Azarova and in support of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Council’s censure of the University of Toronto. CAUT concluded that a donor and federal court judge’s objections to Dr. Valentina Azarova, based on her scholarship on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories, influenced the university’s decision to rescind an offer of a position as Director of the International Human Rights Program. On September 17, 2021, CAUT called for a pause of the censure after U of T reinstated the offer to Azarova, but continues to call on the university to develop an explicit policy that would protect academic freedom and prohibit donor interference in hiring processes. For more information on the censure, please see “A User’s Guide to CAUT Censure of the University of Toronto” at censureuoft.ca/how-to-censure.
This gesture is included in the broadsheet in place of part two of a three-part column by Jacob Wren exploring the intersections of political action, ecological collapse, futurity, and writing.
Jacob Wren makes literature, performances, and exhibitions. His books include: Polyamorous Love Song, Rich and Poor, and Authenticity is a Feeling. As Co-Artistic Director of Montreal-based PME-ART, he has helped create performances such as: Individualism Was A Mistake, The DJ Who Gave Too Much Information, Every Song I’ve Ever Written and Adventures can be found anywhere, même dans la mélancolie. Most recently PME-ART has presented the online conference Vulnerable Paradoxes.
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