Ward Churchill
Writer, Activist, Academic
Previously Aired On: December 19, 2006 - Archive Not Currently Available
Ward Churchill is a writer, political activist, and academic. He is a tenured full professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and author of over 20 books and hundreds of essays. In addition to his academic writing, Churchill has written for several general readership magazines of political opinion. His work is primarily about the U.S. and its historical treatment of political dissenters and of American Indian peoples.
Churchill was widely discussed and criticized in the mass media in 2005, for a 2001 essay in which Churchill questioned the innocence of many of the people killed in the World Trade Center attacks, labeling them as “technocrats” and “little Eichmanns.” The University of Colorado stated support for Churchill’s right to engage in controversial political speech.
Following an investigation of Churchill’s past research, the University’s Standing Committee on Research Misconduct recommended Churchill be sanctioned for repeated acts of “serious research misconduct.” On June 26, 2006, CU Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano issued a notice of intent to dismiss Churchill from his faculty position at the University of Colorado Boulder. Some observers concerned with academic freedom argue that the investigation is in retaliation for Churchill’s controversial statements about the World Trade Center attacks.
