University of Michigan Press

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The University of Michigan Press is a university press that is part of the University of Michigan. It was founded in 1930 as a publisher of books dedicated to imparting important scholarly research. Its list includes books on a wide range of subjects, including political science, gender studies, fiction, theater, classics and archaeology, medieval and Renaissance history, law, economics, American studies, and American history. It is the leading university publisher of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) books. The Press also publishes books aimed at inquisitive general readers interested in poetry criticism, music, African American studies, and American culture (including life in the Great Lakes region), as well as contemporary political, social, and cultural issues.

[edit] Controversy over Distribution Arrangement with Pluto Press

Pluto Press is distributed in the United States by the University of Michigan Press. In the fall of 2007 this arrangement became the subject of a controversy when a pro-Israel advocacy organization, StandWithUs, criticized the University of Michigan Press for distributing "anti-Semitic" books issued by Pluto Press, including those by Israel Shahak and "Overcoming Zionism," by professor of social studies at Bard College, Joel Kovel. U-M Press Director Philip Pachoda wrote to Kovel, saying that no one at U-M Press had read the book before distributing it and that after reading it that he and other faculty "were apalled [sic] by your reckless, viscious [sic] and unmodulated attack on Zionism and all Zionists. For us, the issue raised by the book is not free speech but hate speech. Perhaps such vituperative and aggressive rhetoric works for the barricades, but it cannot be countenanced or underwritten by the university or the university press, even in this peripheral, distributed capacity." ^[1]

Betsy Kellman, director of the Michigan regional chapter of the Anti-Defamation League described Kovel's book "Overcoming Zionism" as dealing in "anti-Semitic canards."^[2] A group of six pro-Israel organizaitons, including the National Christian Leaqdership Council fo rIsrael and the Michigan chapters of the American Jewish Congress, the Jewish Colmmunity Relations Council, and B'nati Brith, issued a statement describing Kovel's book as "often anti-Semitic in nature."^[3] The American distributor, the University of Michigan Press, temporarily suspended distribution of the book.

The controversy was not about the right of Kovel or Pluto to publish the work, rather, critics challenged was the propriety of a university press distributing a book that the director of the University Press characterized as "hate speech." ^[4] Three University of Michigan regents called on U-M Press to end its relationship with Pluto Press. ^[5] The Regents criticized distribution of Kovel's book on the grouds that it "debases the press’ franchise and leaves the press and the university open to damage." ^[6]

The U-M press suspended distribution of Pluto Press titles in August, but resumed distribution in October.^[7]

In December, an editorial in the Detroit Jewish News called on the Press to sever all ties to Pluto Press.^[8]

In January, 2008, the Press issued new Distribution Guidelines^[9] that Peggy McCracken, an associate dean at Michigan who is chair of the executive board of the University Press said that Pluto will probably not meet.^[10] The guidelines call for "scholarly publishers 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^[11] whereas Pluto Press has "a radical political agenda."^[12]