SCS PUBLIC STATEMENT ON U.S. EXECUTIVE ORDER

The SCS (Society for Classical Studies) has released a public statement reacting to the executive order recently issued by the Trump administration. Please read the full statement below or follow this link:

"In light of the executive order on immigration issued on Friday, January 27, 2017, the Society for Classical Studies publicly reaffirms its commitment to the international community of scholars and to the importance of the free movement of scholarship and ideas.  We believe that the selective ban placed on the entry to the United States by individuals of particular nationalities and (in effect) of particular religious beliefs, the suspension of all refugee processing, and the suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Program are harmful to students, scholars, and academic institutions in this country and, given the importance of the middle eastern region to the study of classical antiquity, of particular concern to our discipline.

 

The legal and procedural situation with respect to this order remains unclear and somewhat in flux, as the status of green card holders has apparently been revised, and it seems that a number of individuals originally detained have been released.  Nevertheless, we join with many other colleges, universities, and academic organizations in expressing our strong concern that the actions set out in the executive order run contrary, not only to the foundations of our discipline, but to some of the deepest values of the United States—as a nation of immigrants, of freedom, and of hope.  Further, we join with many colleagues here and around the world in urging that legal and legislative actions be taken, as necessary, to ensure that those values are upheld."

GREECE INTRODUCES SEVERE RESTRICTIONS UPON ANCIENT GREEK IN SCHOOLS

We need to let you know about some disquieting developments concerning the teaching of Classics in Greek Secondary Education. In recent years the Greek government has substantially weakened the status of Ancient Greek both at the level of the Gymnasium and of the Lyceum. FIEC has now contacted Mr Nicholaos Filis, Greece’s Minister of Education, Research and Religion, with an open letter addressing the issue and asking the Minister to intervene.

You may read the full letter below. In case you would like to support the efforts to preserve the status of Classics in Greece, you may consider signing this international petition.

“                                                                                                          Pisa, September 5th, 2016

Dear Sir,

I write on behalf of FIEC (International Federation of Associations of Classical Studies), a body which brings together all major associations of Classical Studies around the world.

In the past two years, our Federation has learned, with great surprise and profound concern of a steady restriction and downgrading in the teaching of Classics in Greek Secondary Education.

More specifically: According to a recent Ministerial Decision, in the three classes of the Gymnasium, one hour was eliminated from the teaching of Ancient Greek language. In the Lyceum, the restriction of Ancient Greek and Latin is also detrimental to the linguistic and cultural background of Greek pupils. In particular, in the first and the second class, the teaching of Ancient Greek was reduced by three hours (one hour in the first and two hours in the second class), while the teaching of Latin was abolished in the second and restricted in the third class to the candidates of Humanities. Similarly, the abolition of Pericles’ Funeral Speech in the third class of the Lyceum deprives schoolchildren of the acquaintance with the values of this unique text.

In the current year we hear that a more radical downgrading in Classics is imminent, since the Head of the Committee for the Dialogue in Education has proposed the abolition of the teaching of the original Ancient Greek texts from the Gymnasium and its restriction in the Lyceum only to those wishing to take Humanities in Higher Education.

All these measures will deal a heavy blow to Classical Education: if eventually applied in Greece, the birthplace of Classical Civilization, they will significantly weaken the younger generation’s skills in oral and written communication, clarity of expression and critical thinking. This is all the more unfortunate, since such measures go against the practice adopted in many countries, where the teaching of Classics has been recognized as an important instrument for the knowledge of our common roots in language and culture.

As an International Organization devoted to the promotion of Classical Studies, we ask you, as

Greek Minister of Education, to intervene to prevent downgrading the Humanities and support the teaching of classical languages and literature, thus enabling Greek youth to take full advantage of the substantial benefits of classical tradition in language and culture.

Looking forward to your reply, I remain

yours sincerely

Franco Montanari (FIEC President)”

“INTERFECTUM” DISFIGURES TEXAS MONUMENT

On another note, we may bring to your attention the rather embarrassing story of a monument dedicated to the 17 victims of the Texas University Tower sniper (1966). The memorial, which was revealed on the 50^th anniversary of the atrocious rampage, displays the names of all those who fell victim to the sniper Charles Whitman. Oddly and unfortunately enough, however, the list is headed by the words “INTERFECTUM AUGUST 1, 1966” unintentionally impairing the dignity of the monument. Seeing that the University’s Classics Department is only about a hundred yards away from the memorial, the mistake hardly appears unavoidable. Follow the link to read the full story.

BREXIT: A LESSON FROM ANCIENT GREECE

This week we would like to call your attention to a newspaper article by Uwe Walter that was published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on the 1^st of July. The writer points out a striking parallel between the UK’s recent decision to leave the European Union and a most spectacular series of democratic ballots carried out in Athens in the 5^th century BC.

            The morning after the UK’s referendum created the illusion of a fresh start of British politics. Just a few days later, however, things look markedly different: Whereas EU officials are urging the UK to put the Brexit into effect, British MPs now appear to prefer waiting to swift action. Perhaps, they are waiting for an opportunity to reverse their decision or to declare it irrelevant after all. Interestingly, this constellation is not without precedent in history: Uwe Walter reminds us of Thucydides’ account of the situation in Athens in 428 BC, i.e. after the first few years of the Peloponnesian War. It is an article about a rash political decision to make an example of those who are the first to leave an international union, about second thoughts and remorse on the following day, about a minority that does not give up fighting for what is deemed right by a steadily increasing number of people…

Please follow the link to read the full article.

ANCIENT GREEK AMONG THE FEW PROGRAMMES TO BE REOPENED IN COPENHAGEN

Today´s first piece of news presents a mixed picture of the developments taking place at the Faculty of Humanities of Copenhagen University. On the one hand, we are pleased to let you know that the study programme of Ancient Greek will be reopened in 2017. In this regard, FIEC would like to thank all those who made an effort in order to save Ancient Greek at this important European University. We strongly hope that professional education in the field of Classical Studies will be provided in the long term and we are grateful to the University of Copenhagen for reconsidering the issue. On the other hand, we are truly sorry to learn that the majority of the thirteen Study Programmes in question find themselves in a much more precarious situation: Some will be merged with other fields, with consequences we cannot foresee; and others will be closed altogether.

As could be read in our blog, in January Copenhagen´s head of the Faculty of Humanities had decided to close thirteen smaller undergraduate programmes due to a significant cut in funding by the Danish government. Accordingly, all programmes affected, including Ancient Greek, will not admit any new students in 2016. However, after various factors as well as potential consequences have been considered in the course of the last months, a new plan has been devised and publicly announced:

Ancient Greek, Eskimology, American Indian Language and Culture Studies, and Contemporary India and South Asia Studies are the only study programmes to be reopened in 2017. These four are said to be retained not because of a higher number of students, but because “the university either has a national obligation or uniquely strong academic environments”. At the same time, the new plan still has devastating effects upon several other study programmes in the field of culture and language: While there is still some hope for five smaller programmes that might be merged to form larger area studies, “Finnish, Indology, Tibetology and South East Asian Studies, comprising Thai and Indonesian, will all close as full study programmes”.

Please follow the link to see more detailed information. Of course, we will keep you updated with the latest news about this matter.

PETITION TO SAVE ANCIENT GREEK IN COPENHAGEN

 

This week, we are in the unfortunate position of having to inform you of two worrisome developments that call for both our attention and our action.

 

PETITION TO SAVE ANCIENT GREEK IN COPENHAGEN

Firstly, we would like to make you aware of the threat to smaller study programmes, including Ancient Greek, at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Barbara Borg, Lynette Mitchell, Daniel Ogden, Robin Osborne, Robert Parker, and Peter Rhodes, who have collectively launched a petition for the preservation of the study of Ancient Greek, give the following background information on the matter:

“The Copenhagen Department of Greek and Latin is the largest and the premier department for the study of Classical subjects in Denmark, and one of the world’s most distinguished Classics depts. In recent times alone it has hosted M.H. Hansen’s Polis project and S. Ebbesen’s projects on the Aristotelian tradition (the latest manifestations only of a great tradition: in the nineteenth century Copenhagen was home to J.N. Madvig and K. Hude). The department also offers vital support to Copenhagen’s Department of History, home to V. Gabrielsen’s Associations project. All of the Greek and Latin Department’s current permanent staff have published on the Greek side.

The new Danish government has cut the funding of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Humanities by a fifth (125M kroner), leading the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Ulf Hedetoft, to initiate the closure of the 13 ‘uneconomic’ undergraduate degree programmes the Faculty currently offers, including Ancient Greek. It has already been decided that the undergraduate programme in Ancient Greek will admit no students in 2016, whilst further stock is taken. A number of options remain under consideration, including the complete and final closure of the programme or the restriction of it to biennial entry only from 2017 onwards. Needless to say, the abolition or diminution of Greek will put extreme pressure on the related degree programmes for Latin and Classical Archaeology, on the teaching of Classical subjects in other Danish universities too, and indeed on the provision of these subjects in Danish high schools, which depend upon the universities to supply them with teachers. “

The petitioners as well as FIEC invite you to consider signing the petition which aims at saving the study programme of Ancient Greek in its current state:
Please follow the link in order to read and sign the petition
Please note that the petitioners ask you, if applicable, to “supply your academic title and/or post in the ‘name’ box, but note that the box does not accept commas (hyphens offer a crude alternative).”
In case you would like to get more information on the matter, you may follow this link.

 

DANGER TO ITALIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE

Secondly, we need to inform you of an alarming development taking place in Italy:

The Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage is planning on implementing major structural reforms. This would include the closure of all local Archaeological Heritage Offices by merging them with those offices dedicated to territory and artistic heritage. There is compelling reason to fear that this reform would put the safeguarding of archaeological heritage at risk. 

In fact, it would strike a dramatically severe blow to the Italian system of the protection and promotion of Cultural Heritage whose efficiency and functionality has already been considerably reduced in recent years.

Therefore, we would like you to consider signing the petition opposing the reforms planned by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage

OPEN LETTER TO THE FRENCH EDUCATION SECRETARY BY THE GERMAN MOMMSEN-ASSOCIATION

The Mommsen-Association, representing germanophone researchers in the field of Greek and Roman Antiquity, has addressed an open letter to the French Education Secretary. It concerns the possible reforms in the French educational system of which we have previously informed you (http://fiecnet.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/open-letter-to-french-education.html).

Read the full letter below:

Mommsen-Gesellschaft e.V. Verband der deutschsprachigen Forscherinnen und Forscher auf dem Gebiete des Griechisch-Römischen Altertums

Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Lehrstuhl für Alte Geschichte, Universitätsplatz 12, 06108

Der Erste Vorsitzende Prof. Dr. Stefan Pfeiffer

Telefon +49 (0)345 – 5524021

(Sekretariat) +49 (0)345 - 5524014

Fax +49 (0)345 – 5527069

stefan.pfeiffer@altertum.uni-halle.de

Ministère de l'Éducation nationale de la France              

110, rue de Grenelle,

 75357 Paris SP 07

Fra nkreich

Halle, 05.06.2015

Madame la Ministre,

C'est avec inquiétude que nous, chercheurs et enseignants-chercheurs spécialistes germanophones de l'antiquité, avons entendu parler de votre projet de réforme du Collège et de l'importante réduction du nombre des heures qui seront consacrées à l'enseignement du grec et du latin qu'elle induit, qui a terme conduira à la suppression de cet enseignement des programmes des études secondaires.

La Société Mommsen, fondée en 1950, est la plus importante union de chercheurs germanophones spécialistes des sciences de l'antiquité. Elle sert à l'encouragement de la recherche scientifique dans les domaines des sciences de l'antiquité, au développement de la collaboration et des échanges inter-disciplinaires, à la promotion à l'université des études scientifiques dans ces domaines, et à la re-présentation des intérêts des chercheurs et des disciplines spécialisées vis-à-vis du grand public.

Nous sommes très étroitement liés à nos collègues français et partageons leur crainte que les ré-formes projetées ne portent un coup très dur au prestige de la France, laquelle constitue l'une des nations les plus importantes dans le domaine de l'enseignement et de la recherche en sciences de l'antiquité classique. En effet, c'est grâce à un important enseignement des humanités classiques, dès le collège et le lycée, que les universités françaises occupent une place considérable, et cet ensei-gnement se fonde principalement sur l'apprentissage des deux langues fondamentales européennes, le latin et le grec.

Au nom de la Société Mommsen, et à titre personnel, je voudrais, Madame la Ministre, que vous puissiez reconsidérer la situation de la réforme du collège et de ses conséquences négatives sur l'enseignement des humanités classiques. J'espère beaucoup qu'il sera possible de trouver une solu-tion permettant de concilier les avancées sociales que vous liez à la réforme du collège et la préserva-tion de l'enseignement des langues anciennes. De manière commune en Autriche, en Suisse et en Allemagne, où malgré des interventions structurales considérables, le latin et le grec ont su trouver une place dans les programmes des études secondaires, c'est aussi notre héritage culturel commun que nous devrions transmettre, dans un monde globalisé, aux générations futures, pour renforcer l'identité européenne dans un monde tout à la fois multipolaire et centrifuge.

Au nom de la Société Mommsen, je vous prie, Madame la Ministre de recevoir l'expression de ma dé-férente considération.

Veuillez recevoir mes plus cordiales salutations

Stefan Pfeiffer

OPEN LETTER TO THE FRENCH EDUCATION SECRETARY

At the end of March we informed you of the French government´s plan to significantly lower the status of the ancient languages within the French educational system. This modification would undoubtedly lead to a substantial decline in the number of students studying either Ancient Greek or Latin. Follow the link in order to see the relevant entry (http://fiecnet.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/petition-to-maintain-status-of-latin.html).

Seeing that the French Ministry of Education does not show any intention to reconsider their plan, FIEC has decided to address an open letter concerning the issue to the Education Secretary, Mme N. Vallaud-Belkacem. Please read the full letter below:

FIEC,

Le Président :                                                                                                        

Prof. Franco Montanari

Via San Luca 8

I – 56011 Calci (PI)

tél. (prof.) + 39 010 209 9724

tél. (privé) + 39 050 93 93 19

franco.montanari@unige.it

www.fiecnet.org

Lettre ouverte

à Madame la Ministre

de l’Éducation nationale,

de l’Enseignement supérieur

et de la Recherche,

Mme N. Vallaud-Belkacem

                                                      Università di Genova, le 19 mai 2015

Madame la Ministre,

La réforme annoncée du collège et ses conséquences pour l’enseignement du latin et du grec suscitent depuis plusieurs semaines une émotion qui dépasse désormais les frontières de la France et justifie que la Fédération Internationale des Associations d’Études Classiques (FIEC), que nous représentons, se permette d’intervenir dans le débat en vous adressant ce courrier.

La FIEC, créée en 1947, est une organisation faîtière qui regroupe la plupart des associations d’études classiques dans le monde. Elle a pour but de favoriser la collaboration entre les savants mais aussi de soutenir et d’encourager les classical studies à tous les niveaux et sur tous les continents, et notamment l’apprentissage des langues anciennes.

Sans un tel apprentissage, les sciences de l’Antiquité (philosophie, philologie, archéologie, histoire, littérature…) et leurs nombreuses sous-disciplines (épigraphie, numismatique, paléographie, papyrologie…) n’existeraient tout simplement pas. En effet, les textes documentaires ou littéraires écrits en grec ou en latin qui sont parvenus jusqu’à nous constituent le socle commun sur lequel se fondent ces sciences et, partant, notre connaissance de la civilisation gréco-romaine. Or si ces sciences, développées par les humanistes de la Renaissance, sont encore vivantes et productives au XXI^e siècle, c’est parce que ce patrimoine textuel, loin d’être une sorte de mémoire morte, s’enrichit chaque jour. Non seulement les savants découvrent de nouveaux témoins (papyri, ostraka, inscriptions, manuscrits), mais surtout ces découvertes suscitent en permanence de nouvelles interprétations qui intéressent tous les champs des sciences humaines. Leur écho se fait entendre bien au delà de la seule communauté savante.

Autrement dit, la disparition ou l’affaiblissement significatif des langues anciennes dans l’enseignement secondaire aura des effets – aujourd’hui ignorés ou sous-évalués – catastrophiques pour la recherche française de haut niveau : ce sont des domaines entiers des sciences humaines dont la vitalité, sinon l’existence, seront, par ricochet, menacés, en particulier en archéologie et en histoire. En sapant les fondations des études classiques, on affaiblira et condamnera à court terme un secteur de la science française qui, malgré un contexte international de plus en plus concurrentiel, reste dynamique et conserve une place éminente, comme l’a encore montré le dernier Congrès mondial de la FIEC, qui s’est tenu à Bordeaux en août 2014.

Puisque les sciences humaines ne peuvent se passer d’hellénistes et de latinistes sérieusement formés, leur vocation doit pouvoir être éveillée dès le collège. C’est un moment essentiel, où se sont dessinées dans de petits collèges de province, et pas seulement dans des établissements de grandes villes, les carrières de certains de ceux qui aujourd’hui illustrent l’image de la recherche française en grec ou en latin à l’étranger. Pour cela, des enseignements de civilisation ne suffisent pas : il faut donner aux élèves un accès direct aux langues anciennes, offert à tous ceux qui en expriment le désir. Le but n’est évidemment pas de former des spécialistes dès le collège, mais de maintenir ouverte, pour tous ceux que l’Antiquité passionne, la possibilité de se construire un parcours où le grec et le latin aient leur place. Cette liberté est l’une des spécificités de l’enseignement secondaire français : l’apprentissage des langues anciennes n’y a jamais été, comme ailleurs, cantonné à certains établissement privés et réservé à des publics privilégiés, mais ouvert à tous ; et il a largement contribué, pendant des décennies, à la réputation de rigueur et d’excellence du modèle éducatif français.

À ces enjeux stratégiques s’ajoute la nécessité, qui revient principalement à l’école, de transmettre aux jeunes générations une histoire et une culture communes. Or c’est autour de la Méditerranée que se sont formées les grandes civilisations qui ont permis de construire l’Europe : Grecs, Romains, Arabes, Carthaginois, Hébreux, et bien d’autres peuples encore ont communiqué dans une interaction féconde dont nous devons préserver et faire connaître les précieux témoignages. Construire la France de demain ne passera que par une compréhension du passé ; et cette constatation vaut pour tous les autres pays affiliés à la FIEC par l’entremise de leurs associations d’études classiques.

Dans l’espoir que cette lettre saura trouver votre intérêt et votre compréhension, nous vous prions de recevoir, Madame la Ministre, l’assurance de nos sentiments respectueux.

Franco Montanari, Président de la FIEC

EGYPTOLOGY JOB OPENING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Apart from the open letter, we would like to make you aware of a job opening at the Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford. The opening is for a Departmental Lectureship in Egyptology (including Demotic and Coptic). Please follow the link to see all relevant information: https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form

THE ROLE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WITHIN THE HUMANITIES

This week we would like to take up an issue which does not only pertain to current events in field of Classics, but to an ongoing global development: The growing significance of the English language for international communication.

Even if English has not reached all areas of the world yet, it surely appears to be on its way of becoming a full-fledged lingua franca. As such, it enables people from all over the globe to communicate with each other and thus brings a number of practical as well as economic advantages. For one, it allows FIEC to write but one blog entry on this topic to all its readers speaking completely different mother tongues.  Yet, there may be a downside to this development. We have to ask ourselves whether or not we should allow English to become the ONLY language of international importance.

An Austrian petition, which was launched a few days ago, addresses this very problem. More specifically, it calls into question a decision made by the FWF, Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (“Austrian Science Fund”), which is an essential institution giving financial support to Austrian scientific research. A couple of years ago, those responsible for the fund decided that applications to it were to be submitted in English only. They argued that it would thus be easier to find suitable evaluators for the individual projects in need of funding.

The supporters of the petition, on the other hand, consider this restriction a step into the wrong direction. Particularly in the field of humanities, they argue, a multilingual approach has to be taken since scholars from all over the world have been communicating in several languages for a long time and because considerable parts of the relevant literature is French, Italian, German etc. Therefore, it can be claimed, that a qualified evaluator definitely has to be acquainted with a number of languages in order to understand the context of any given application in the field of, e.g., Philosophy or Classics.

Apart from that, languages are not mere practical tools, but carry the cultural identity of the peoples by which they are spoken. To strengthen the use of one universal language might means to lose a great portion of our cultural diversity, a problem that reaches far beyond academic discourse.

To read and sign the petition and help allow German applications to the FWF, please follow this link.

The issue is certainly worth some discussion. It might as well be of interest what native speakers of English think about this topic. Does the quality of academic writing in English, as a whole, worsen because of the high number of non-native speakers using it for their theses and articles? After all, it is inevitable that some aspects of any text get lost in translation.

We invite every one of you to share your thoughts on this issue. Please comment on the entry and let us know your perspective. We would be pleased to see a lively discussion.

U.S. SENATOR ADAPTS CICERO SPEECH FOR SENATE

Secondly, we would like to share with you a piece of classical literature being revived in the 21^st century.

Please notice that FIEC does not try to convey any sort of political message by posting this item!

 

On Thursday, the twentieth of November, US Senator Ted Cruz held a speech in the Senate criticizing President Obama. What makes this seemingly ordinary matter interesting is the fact that Cruz used Cicero´s first oration against Catiline as a model and, indeed, adhered to the original to a relatively high degree.

 

Please see for yourself if you deem the Senator´s adaptation worthy of Cicero´s probably best known political work. Following the link, you will find a visual as well as a written version of the speech, the latter one displaying all changes made by Cruz.

GOOD NEWS FROM THE SWEDISH INSTITUTES OF ATHENS, ROME, AND ISTANBUL

We are delighted to inform you that the devastating budget cuts to humanities, proposed by the Swedish government, have been averted. Thus, the funding of the Swedish Mediterranean Institutes at Athens, Rome, and Istanbul has been saved, enabling them to continue their significant and diversified work. We express sincere congratulations and our heartfelt thanks to all of you, who contributed to the protests!

Please read this email from our Swedish colleagues, showing their gratitude:

Dear friends,

To all of you who signed the petition against the closing down of the Swedish Institutes at Athens, Rome and Istanbul we want to express our sincerest gratitude. Today, to our great relief, the Swedish government officially announced that they will NOT cut our funding. The massive protests from the international scholarly community certainly contributed greatly to this result and on behalf of the Swedish Institutes at Athens, Rome and Istanbul we thank you all deeply.

Jenny Wallensten & Jenni Hjohlman

COURT JUDGMENT ON WARBURG INSTITUTE

Today´s news contains the latest information on the legal dispute between the Warburg Institute and the University of London, which the research institution with its extensive library has been associated with since 1944 (for the relevant historical background, please see the press release below). The court has ruled in favour of the Institute, but the University might still appeal.

The disagreement on financial matters was constituted by two main points: Firstly, the fact that the Institute has been running “a reported £500,000 annual deficit”¹ for a number of years, and secondly, the result that the University of London “more than doubled an estates charge on the institute in 2007-08”².

Due to the financial pressure put on the Institute, apprehensions have been expressed that the approximately 350,000 volumes of the Warburg collection might be divided up among the Senate House Library, a process which might also mean that most volumes would cease to be available to researchers from all over the world. Instead, a conventional “book-by-request” system would probably be introduced. Furthermore, a court defeat might lead the relocation of the collection to Germany or to the US¹.

Taking into account the Institute´s positive reaction to the court judgment, you may be surprised to learn that the university claimed the “judge has found in favour of the university on almost every point that was of importance to us”². Here, the spokesperson is referring to funding granted by the Higher Education Funding Council for England which, as the judge decided, does not belong to Warburg, but to the University alone.

(Sources:

1. Grove, Jack (19 June 2014). "Warburg Institute: library saved from Nazis awaits its fate". Times Higher Education. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/warburg-institute-library-saved-from-nazis-awaits-its-fate/2014023.article , 10 November 2014.

2. Grove, Jack (6 November 2014). “Warburg Institute court judgment handed down”. Times Higher Education. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/warburg-institute-court-judgment-handed-down/2016829.article , 10 November 2014.)

See below to read about the court´s recent decision and visit http://warburg.sas.ac.uk/home/ for further information.

PRESS RELEASE

Warburg Institute safe as High Court rules contents not the property of University of London

6th November 2014

To the benefit and relief of scholars worldwide, the High Court has rejected the University of London’s claims that all additions to the Warburg Institute since 1944 belong to the University, and instead agreed that they form part of the Institute. Furthermore, the judge, Mrs Justice Proudman, held that the University is obliged to provide funding for the activities of the Warburg Institute.

Leticia Jennings of Bates Wells Braithwaite, who advised the Advisory Council of the Warburg Institute, commented: “This decision ensures that the wealth of important material housed within the Institute will remain available, as before, in its entirety, and that the University will not be free to in any way restrict the access of the many scholars who use and rely on the Institute’s outstanding resources.”

The Institute grew out of the private library of the art historian Aby Warburg (1866-1929), who collected books in art history, literature, intellectual history, religion and the history of science and magic. As a Jewish institution based in Germany, the Institute was forced to close, and its very existence was threatened by the Nazi-organised book-burnings of April 1933. To escape destruction, the entire library of 60,000 books, as well as photographs, papers and furniture, were shipped to the safe-haven of London in December 1933. Many of the Institute’s staff also transferred to London.

After years of negotiation involving members of the Warburg Family, the University of London, distinguished scholars and philanthropists, the University of London became trustee of the Warburg Institute, to hold it on charitable trust pursuant to the terms of a 1944 Trust Deed*.The Institute has since grown into a world class teaching and research institute, much respected and sought after by academics worldwide.

The Trust Deed obliges the University to maintain and preserve the Warburg library in perpetuity, to house it, and to keep it adequately equipped and staffed as an independent unit. Leticia Jennings stated: “The contemporaneous evidence leading up to the signing of the Trust Deed shows that the transfer to the University of London was on the condition that the University accepted these obligations. This judgment has confirmed that the University must maintain the Institute as ‘an independent unit’, and that the University is not entitled to use the name and prestige associated with the Warburg Institute to obtain funds, but to then apply those funds to the University’s general purposes.”

In recent years the University had charged a proportion of its total estate expenditure to the Warburg Institute, meaning that the once solvent Institute was left with a significant deficit as it was used, in effect, to subsidise the University’s corporate property. The judge held that the University’s conduct in this regard is not permissible and “flies in the face” of the terms of Trust Deed.

The judge also clarified the important role of the University in relation to housing the Warburg Institute: whilst the University continues to own the building at Woburn Square, it has a binding obligation to house the Institute in a suitable building close to the University centre in Bloomsbury.

Despite the judge’s clear ruling, following a very detailed review of the evidence, the University has decided to seek permission to appeal.

In response to the judgment, Librarian and Acting Director of the Institute, Dr Raphaële Mouren, commented: “Whilst I am very pleased that this judgment appears to mean that the intellectual resources of the Warburg Institute, including its world renowned library, will be preserved for future generations of scholars working in the humanities, I am very disappointed that the University has decided to focus on an appeal. I very much hope it will reconsider, and commit to working with us to strengthen the Institute for the benefit of the academic community and enhancing our corpus of scholars.”

The Chairman of the Advisory Council, Professor Margaret McGowan, commented: “The Advisory Council was pleased to receive the judgment representing years of hard work, and had hoped that the University would agree to enter into discussions and begin to work together in the best interests of the Institute and the University. We are frustrated that the University appears to wish to continue to spend its time and money on furthering the legal dispute rather than find a solution to secure the Warburg Institute’s long-term future. The Advisory Council remains very grateful for the immense support it has received regarding this matter, in particular from the American Friends of the Warburg Institute and from The Polonsky Foundation, without whom its successful defence of the matter would not have been possible.”