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Protest over sacking of rebel professor

Washington: An anarchist anthropology professor described as one of the brightest minds in his field, has become a cause celebre for student union activists at Yale after the university decided not to renew his contract. The treatment of David Graeber, who belongs to the Industrial Workers of the World Union and has been arrested during anti-globalisation protests, has sparked a letter-writing campaign from professors around the world, while more than 4,000 people have signed an online petition accusing the Ivy League university of letting politics influence the hiring of staff. ``It's extremely odd that one of the most brilliant anthropologists is being excluded from the department at Yale,'' Maurice Bloch, an anthropologist at the London School of Economics, said. Yale has refused to explain why the anthropology department did not renew his contract. Mr Graeber said that during a six-year review he was given a short-term contract after colleagues expressed concerns about his late turning in of grades and coming late to class. His high regard for himself may also have contributed. ``I'm both more productive intellectually than they are and I'm having more fun. It must drive them crazy,'' he said. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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