No Tears for Ward Churchill

"In a larger sense, the Churchill case reveals the problematic nature of advocacy scholarship. Passionate advocacy has a place in academia, but not if it leads to falsifications. The rise of advocacy scholarship was understandable and has generated much legitimate research and worthy polemics. But it also opened the door to hacks and ideologues. Ethnic studies and gender studies departments are always in danger of falling into breast-beating advocacy and identity-group solidarity. It is the responsibility of universities to make sure they don't."

Gary Kamiya in Salon sums up the unfortunate cost in defending Ward Churchill.

Update: In July, a Colorado judge vacates Churchill's court victory, as reported by Peter Schmidt in The Chronicle of Higher Education.