From: Bobby Lopez
Date: Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 2:13 PM
Subject: Intimidation of translators and transnational literary scholars
To:
Dear Dr. Rosemary G. Feal,
I am writing to you as a colleague and as a member of the Modern Language Association. Currently I am an associate professor of English and Classics at California State University-Northridge. On September 15, 2014, a major political action group published a "report" that listed me as their second biggest enemy. This classification is based solely on my arguments regarding same-sex parenting. While I am aware that this topic is controversial, I based my arguments on personal experience, research and translation, and transnational, trans-historic literary study. In other words, I have followed principles of evidence and argumentation as espoused by the MLA.
The report uses the threatening term "on notice" to describe their intent to surveil and pressure me about my collaborative research and translation projects with colleagues in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and Italy. Their reasons for targeting me for intimidation stem from my participation and presentations as part of public debate in the United States and especially in the four above countries in Europe. This is literally a campaign of intimidation designed to pressure not only me but all scholars and translators who collaborate on research with people in foreign countries. As you will see from this link, The Export of Hate, I have been warned and placed "on notice" that harm will befall me if I continue to exercise my academic freedom and pursue international research with scholars in other countries. These harms do not preclude efforts to retaliate me through institutions (such as the university board of trustees, etc.) or physical attacks. The implications for the professionals in your organization are enormous.
I am interested to know whether the MLA will defend the principles of its organization in the face of a campaign of threats and intimidation. There are more details pertinent to this case; I am willing to provide further details if the MLA would like to know more.
Sincerely,
Robert Oscar Lopez
