Week 5 - Alan Sani

Alan Sani
A03
Week 5

The themes for the past few weeks both focus on comparing how the university functions to how other entities function. Last week focused on the similarities between universities and corporations and this week focuses on the similarities between the University and an Imperial State. As much as administrators may want to deny it, many Universities have a history of silencing and oppressing minority and opposing groups, much like an imperial state. In this week’s reading The Imperial University The authors Piya Chattarjee and Sunaina Maira site specific examples of incidents at both of their universities where students were treated unjustly with unnecessary aggression and were denied a respectful response to their voices and opposition.  At UC Davis the incident involving the mass pepper spraying weas mentioned and at UC Riverside the demonstrations that ended in police brutality. This idea of the the Imperial University paints higher education in a bad light, however this is a reality that we as UC students cannot deny. Many controversial acts of oppression have taken place in recent years within the UC System and even here at UC Davis. Students within our own university system are punished for speaking up against decisions made by our administrators and the regents. The incidents regarding relations with Israel and Palestine hit close to home for me. Students who spoke up against the Zionist within the UC regents board were faced with consequences however I agree with the side of the students who were punished and not the Zionists. I was also exposed to many of these incidents while they were taking place because these incidents happened while my sister was here attending UC Davis. My parents, because of their experiences as Asian American immigrants advised my sister at that time to stay away from participating in these demonstrations. My sister as a minority with opposing ideas was encouraged to silence her voice “Just to be Safe”. This is an attitude that is ingrained within ourselves because of the imperialist society that we live in. This is an attitude that exists within institutions of higher education.  However, as an American born Asian American I am not afraid to standup for what I believe in as long as I am not breaking any laws. It is our job as Asian American Minorities to stand up to the Imperial University and the Imperialist society we live in.

Question: Why do people in positions of power feel the constant need to oppress minorities and people of opposition?

This picture is the cover photo from the movie Walkout. This movie accurately depicts the unnecessary brutality many students face when fighting for the quality of their own education.

Walkout Film [Photograph]. (January 12). Wikimedia.org.