DO WE NEED UNIVERSITIES AND SCHOOLS?
Debaprasad
Bandyopadhyay *
^ দেবপ্রসাদ বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায় ^
ABSTRACT
In fact, by posting this document,
containing Bangla documents on academiocracy, I am digging my own grave as I, a
cog in the academic machinery, am condemning streamlined education system and
institutionalized organized funded academic institutes and propagating “Life-Long-Learning”(as
it is practiced by La Filológica Por La
Causa )
and “open access to knowledge” (as it is found in academia.edu and other open access repository and
are highly condemned by the doyens of print capitalism). Is it not a paradox or
a severe hypocrisy on my part? Despite the fact that I am earning my bread and
butter form an educational institute, I am against the authoritarian
ritualization of education in institutional framework that makes human being "A well-trained dog than a harmoniously
developed person” (Einstein,
Ideas And Opinions, pg. 195.). I,
wish to withdraw myself from the glorious data collection team; the
patron-client relationship with the dominant political party (in most of the
cases, in our locality, the recruitments and promotions are determined by such
relationship); conformist attitude towards dominant academic fashion; the
conditioning system of educational institutes that indoctrinates and
manufactures ideology… Therefore, I have started a non-violent non-cooperation
with such ideological state apparatuses (a la Althusser). I, highly influenced
by Rousseau, Tagore, Russell, Gandhi and Ivan Illich, do not want to be either
a trained dog or a watchdog ( I am a
watchdog, when I am surveying) of a corporate-sponsored state-controlled
apparatus. It
is understood that I am alienated from the socially necessary labor as well as
supposed nature—I cannot make my own garments or my food and that is due to the
conditioning camps I had attended in my early
stage of life. If I do not have such skills (farming, animal husbandry,
weaving, gathering etc.), what shall I do at this moment (anthropocene) of
disaster due to the anthropogenic global heating? If my educational training
cut a sorry figure to engage myself with supposed nature and culture (that
include both my human and non-human neighbor), what is the meaning of my
education?
The monograph, Contemporary Academics in West Bengal: A Collection এখ(৷)নকার
আকাদেমিক্স সংহতি-মার্গও আমি-বিষয়ী, is an edited collection of papers on the
condition of academiocracy in West Bengal, India under the pseudo-communist
regime of 34 years (the situation is as same as before or even worst after the
change [?] of the ruling party in West Bengal). The editor of this collection,
in the prologue, from his subjective position as a glocal sub-altern research-activist (a)
described the long colonial legacy of Scientific Imperialism by reiterating
Galtung’s arguments; (b) criticized Model Theoretic Approach with the analogy
of fashion models, who are suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia (c) in
connection with that, he emphasized on the intellectual anorexia of the local
academiocracy, the model followers in the ramp of academics; (d) pointed out
the patron-client relationship among the then existing corporate-sponsored
ruling party, academic mafias sponsored by the ruling party, so-called educated
unemployed or party-cadres and the sponsored- ‘scholars’; (e) depicted the
embedded inferiority complex of the indigenous educators, who believed that the
“West is best”; indigenous knowledge and mother tongue were (un)officially
ignored due to lack of self-confidence (f) the proliferation of technical
intelligentsia/inorganic intellectuals that caused the endangerment of thinking
person/ philosopher with social engagement.
The collection
consists of excerpts from the writings of Isvarchandra Vidyasagar (on the
homogenous molding within academic tribe under the Raj, which is still being
observed as the governmentality leads to mediocrity –the top of the Gaussian
bell is enhanced by marginalizing ‘other’!), Kalidas Bhattacharya (He also
criticized Model Theoretic Approach and the hegemony of political parties in
the realm of academics), Subhendu Dasgupta (who described the non-neutrality of
institutionalized academics that carried the filthy politicalization), Sourin
Bhattacharya (He explained the problem of institutionalized organized
merchant-sponsored academics, problems of funded research, lack of knowledge in
philosophy and history of science and Model Theoretic Approach), Tapan
Roychoudhuri (He vehemently criticized the print capitalistic “publish or
perish [and publish rubbish]” –policy of international academiocracy. ), Mihir
Chakroborti ( He elaborated the role of imagination in case of Mathematics,
which is disrupted by the power politics within the academic sphere), Partha
Chatterji ( He pointed out the enhancement of mediocrity by the political
society of West Bengal) and Ajit Choudhuri ( He found an apparent solution in
many academic terrorist spaces that could be established as a symptom[in
Lacanian sense of the term] against the existing local front politics). In the epilogue, the collector of
these excerpts, though mentioned many collaborative and non-collaborative
options, ultimately selected non-violent non-cooperation with the existing
system of academics. Before that he discussed the lives of some thinking
persons, viz., Socrates, Spinoza, Wittgenstein et al. so that one could learn
the ‘art ‘of such resistance.
In the paper, Narrative of না-ইস্কুল বা/or Nice School, a biographical story is presented with some theoretical
inputs. Being unnecessarily disturbed by the
schooling system of the West Bengal, India and consulting the statistical
reports of National Crime Bureau on the bleak scenario of schooling, a father,
deeply influenced by Rousseau, Rabindranath, Gandhi and Ivan Illich, withdrew
his son from the Ideological state Apparatus (a la Althusser) and followed the
Illichian methods of deschooling.
Keywords: academiocracy, academic-mafia, academic-tribe, Scientific Imperialism, Model Theoretic Approach and Fashion Models, academic-ramp, patron-client relationship, technical intelligentsia/inorganic intellectuals, institutionalized organized merchant-sponsored academics, political society, ideological state apparatuses.
For detailed discussion, kindly follow hyperlinks (blue-colored
titles)
·
2014. “৬৮-র ছাত্র আন্দোলন: আমার যাপনে-জীবনে” Niladri
DashSharma ed. ছাত্রআন্দোলন: ফ্রান্স. (pp. 12-13). Maphasvali Prakashan. Barasat.
Download (.pdf)
·
2011“না-ইস্কুল বা/ or Nice School-এর আখ্যান” [Narrative of
Nice School] Tepantar- IX (147-63) Kolkata.
Download (.pdf)
·
2008. “সংস্কৃতি বিদ্যাচর্চা :সংকট ও মোচন” [Culture Studies: Crisis and Solutions]”Sumahan
Bandyopadhyay ed. Loukik. II:1
(pp.99-107). Kolkata.
Download (.pdf)
·
2007. “ভাষা আন্দোলন নিয়ে কিছু দুঃখের কথা ,” [Lamenting Language Movement]. Kalodhvani. 13:3. (pp. 6-8)
Download (.pdf)
·
2007.“এখ(৷)নকার আকাদেমিক্স সংহতি-মার্গ ও আমি-বিষয়ী” (Contemporary
Academics in West Bengal: A Collection)Tepantar.
Vol. V. (pp.1-41).
Download (.pdf)
·
2007. "বয়ান পাঠের মার্কসীয় তরিকা: বঙ্গীয় সংস্করণ –একটি সেন্সরড বয়ানের পুন:পাঠ".[Marxist
Literary Theory: Bangla Edition-An Uncensored Version]Asvamedh. I:1 (pp. 72-95) With an introduction by Sandip Dutta.
Censored version published in Chattopadhyay, Debabrata ed. 2006.
Parikatha.VIII: 2. Special issue on Market Economy & Changes in
Human-relations. May'06( pp. 82-105)24 Paraganas (S).
Download (.pdf)
·
2006. “পরীক্ষা পরীক্ষা [Exam, Exams]”. Chiranjib ed. Alochana Chakro, XXIII. (pp.37-55) R.N. 69543/87.
Download (.pdf)
·
2005. “বিজ্ঞান-বাজার-রাষ্ট্র ”. Onno
SOr/Other Voice.(Imperialism: A Feudo-Capitalist regime). Jan’05 (pp.
143-49)
Download (.pdf)
·
2004. "প্রতীচ্যের বেগানারা: এক হিপক্রিটের নজরে". [Flaneurs/Absurd Men Of The West: From A Hypocrite's Gaze]. Shrayan.[SOHoj jiboner path](pp.35-50)
2nd ed. 2009. pp. (413-28)
Download (.pdf)
·
2003. “Other ব্যাপারি: মহাশ্বেতা ভায়া গায়ত্রী [Others’ Business or Business of Others : Mahasweta Via Gayatri]”. Sil, B. ed. KuRal uTThaw. [A collection of
Bangla Articles on Mahasweta Devi] ChuchRa, W.B: Janapadprayas. (pp. 18-27)
Reprinted from: 2003. Janapadprayas. (pp. 18-27)
Download (.pdf)
·
2002. "বহুশাখী বট ও মৃত কৃষ্ণচূড়া" lekhan. Kolkata: Indian Statistical Institute Club. (pp. 160-168)
Download (.pdf)
·
1999. “Why Do I Forsake Historical Linguistics?”.International
Journal of Dravidian Linguistics.
Vol. XXVIII, No.2. (pp.1-10). Thiruvanthapuram.
Download (.pdf)
·
1994. “Re-reading Holub’s Anti-Poetry: ‘A Textbook
on Dead Language’.” R.K. Singh & U.S. Bahri ed. Creative
Forum. VII:3-4 (pp.4-6)
Download (.pdf)
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1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcBt97gApYQ
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWRCOiDG5wo
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsVG0V0SmuA
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6usXR9250s
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH6EdQ9SN-g