University of Michigan Press - Controversies

Controversies

In June 2008, The University of Michigan Press severed ties with the British independent publishing firm, Pluto Press for which it served as the American distributor. The decision came after a series of events tied to the distribution of the 2007 book Overcoming Zionism by then- Bard College professor, Joel Kovel, which argues "that the creation of Israel was a mistake and urges adoption of the "one state" solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which Israelis and Palestinians would form a new country, without a Jewish character. " According to University Spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham, The University of Michigan Press stopped distributing the book in the Fall of 2007, after "serious questions" were raised about the book by "members of the university community." In addition, Cunningham stated that the relationship between the University of Michigan Press and Pluto Press was under examination by the faculty committee that oversees the press. Later in September, The University of Michigan Press announced that it would resume distribution of Overcoming Zionism after receiving complaints that it was conducting censorship. The Executive Board of The University of Michigan Press asserted in a statement that though it, "has deep reservations about Overcoming Zionism, it would be a blow against free speech to remove the book from distribution on that basis. We conclude that we should not fail to honor our distribution agreement based on our reservations about the content of a single book. " In the same statement, The University of Michigan Press stated that it would review its relationship with Pluto Press.

In October 2007, The University of Michigan Press announced in a statement that it would continue to distribute books for Pluto Press. It also announced that it would review the policies dictating its relationship with external presses. In an interview with Joel Kovel, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! discussed this issue and focused in particular on the influence of Howard Zinn. In response, Kovel stated that he had contacted Zinn and that "Zinn and other well-known people, like Richard Falk, you know, have said yes, we’re on board with this."

In November 2007, three members (out of eight) of the University of Michigan Board of Regents released a statement that called for The University of Michigan Press to cease distributing books for external publishing companies. In January 2008, The University of Michigan announced new guidelines for the distribution of books by external publishing companies. The new guidelines stated that The University of Michigan Press will only distribute books by presses "whose mission is aligned with the mission of the UM Press and whose academic standards and processes of peer review are reasonably similar to those of the UM Press."

In June 2008, The University of Michigan Press ended its relationship with Pluto Press. McCraken stated in an interview with Inside Higher Ed, that the relationship ended because Pluto Press does not use the same peer review process as The University of Michigan. She also stated in response to a question that postulated a link with criticism of Overcoming Zionism, that "the initial decision of the executive board of the press was that it would not make a decision based on a particular book" and that "certainly the free and open exchange of ideas is the foundation of everything we do at the university." Roger van Zwanenberg, chairman of Pluto Press responded to the decision by linking it to the criticism of Overcoming Zionism. He stated: "What this tells you is that there are dark forces in America who would like to control the flow of ideas, and they are powerfully organized and they are very dangerous." He suggested that The University of Michigan knew that there was a difference in the peer review process from the beginning of their relationship, calling the decision to focus on peer review "a facade." He also stated that Pluto Press would seek a new American distributor. Pluto Press is currently distributed in the United States by Palgrave Macmillan."