Minding the World

The University Didn’t Want Him. A Generation Does.

Montgomery Toms is not your average 20-year-old. In an age when conformity is celebrated and silence is often the safest path, Toms has chosen resistance. Since the age of fourteen, he has been a vocal opponent of authoritarianism in all its modern forms—from government overreach to the cultural mandates of political correctness. He has marched […]

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Japan’s Push for More International Students Faces Growing Scrutiny

The Japanese government aims to enhance the international competitiveness of its higher education system. Universities, junior colleges, and other professional schools are expected to be able to accept more international students starting next fiscal year. However, the topic of international students is becoming an increasingly contentious issue in Japan. Some of Japan’s non-competitive, for-profit universities […]

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Foreign Rulings May Push U.S. Courts to Clearly Define and Defend Women’s Spaces

Two important legal cases, one in Australia and the other in the United Kingdom, may soon influence how American courts and policymakers address a central question in today’s culture war: What is a woman? Both cases examine whether women and girls have the legal right to female-only spaces. One involves a digital platform, while the […]

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At Oxford, the Pride Flag Is the New Union Jack

Last month at an academic freedom conference in England, a friend from a traditional part of the Middle East jokingly dismissed the sea of Pride flags festooning Oxford as the new “flags of the empire.” They observed that Pride flags outnumbered the Union Jack, the United Kingdom’s flag and that of the old British Empire, […]

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Activism and Art Shape the New Museum Experience

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on June 18, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Although the founder of La Tribune de […]

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Support for Fabrice Balanche

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on April 10, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Last April, Fabrice Balanche, a […]

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‘Why Intellectuals Are Wrong’

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on April 22, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. We read the remarkable work […]

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The Meaning of Our Fight

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on March 24, 2025. The Observatory translated it from French into English. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. We are not campaigning for […]

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Muslim Brotherhood Uses Higher Ed to Infiltrate and Influence the West

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on December 15, 2023. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Mapping the Muslim Brotherhood galaxy […]

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Susan Neiman Wants Her Left Back

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on January 5, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Susan Neiman’s latest book in […]

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Stand Up for Science? Try Standing Up for Scientists Shunned for Thinking Freely

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on March 11, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. In a great burst of […]

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Japanese Universities Are Importing DEI, Female Quotas in STEM

Amid growing global skepticism toward “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), Japanese universities are rapidly embracing surprisingly radical DEI measures. In Japan’s university admissions, admission quotas for females (Joshi-waku, literally “Girls’ Quotas”) grant eligibility exclusively to women and are being introduced successively in highly competitive STEM programs. Both national and private institutions employ this scheme. Typically, […]

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Michel Houellebecq’s “Submission” Nails Academics for France’s Cultural Ruin

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published on All Things Rhapsodical on May 17, 2025. With edits to match Minding the Campus’s style guidelines, it is crossposted here with permission. This is just up on Chronicles and not paywalled. Michel Houellebecq is a remarkable figure in literature. He has written a number of excellent novels, dealing […]

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Only Woke Feminists Belong

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on May 14, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. I am one of the many feminist writers and left-wing […]

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Universities Under Control

Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on April 24, 2025. The Observatory translated it into English from French. I have edited it, to the best of my ability, to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. With contributions from Olivier Beaud (Paris II), Arnaud […]

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Columbia’s Apology Faux Pas, Seen from France

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on September 23, 2023. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Everyone remembers the events of the spring at Columbia […]

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Deciphering Censorship Disguised as Scientific Rigor

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on March 18, 2025. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. In a text entitled “Regarding the cancellation of FBB’s visit to […]

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Woke Hermit Kingdom: Canada Doubles Down on DEI

While the United States dismantles “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), Canada still clings desperately to this cult of mediocrity. Sensing an impending cultural shift, Canadian DEI professionals are scrambling to mount a defense reminiscent of Jonathan Swift’s “Modest Proposal.” While Swift suggested eating children to solve poverty, diversicrats deploy discrimination in their moral crusade to […]

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Should We Redefine the University’s Mission?

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on May 15, 2024. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. The three missions of academics are currently teaching, research, and community […]

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Gender Theory and Queer-Feminist Narratives Diminish Political Science

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on September 2, 2024. It was translated from French into English by the Observatory and subsequently edited to conform to Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Ms. Réjane Sénac holds a doctorate in political science from the […]

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Job Profiles in Inclusive Writing: The Administration Backtracks

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on March 6, 2024. It was translated from French into English by the Observatory and subsequently edited to conform to Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. While the acronym “INSPE” is not explicitly defined, it […]

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Why We Must Save Old French in Universities

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on March 18, 2022. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. The French language is continually evolving and adapting; that’s a fact. […]

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Social Sciences and Wokeness: Why France Is a Special Case

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on January 2, 2023. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. The phenomenon known as “woke” or “wokism” is international: initially developed […]

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The Influence of Identity Ideologies on ‘Psy’ Practices

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on February 5, 2025. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. The contemporary period, which has been described as hypermodern, produces identity […]

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Anthropology in Crisis: Elizabeth Weiss Faces the Challenges of a Politicized Discipline

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on January 25, 2025. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. San Jose State University Elizabeth Weiss, a physical anthropologist and professor […]

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Secularism: Understanding Its Origins and Meaning

Editor’s Note: The following was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on November 8, 2023. It was translated from French into English by the Observatory and later edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is republished here with permission. For translation assistance, I used ChatGPT. Secularism? A difficult term to […]

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Censorship in U.S. School Libraries: What Now for the Bible?

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on June 29, 2023. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. The American and international media have recently echoed a […]

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Lowering the Bar Isn’t Equity—All Students Deserve High Standards

Editor’s Note: The following is an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on March 22, 2022. It was translated into English from French by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. “Why is it written like that?” All teachers know that children ask […]

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“Gender Studies” and Historical Fakery: How Activists Manufacture Myths to Deconstruct Western Traditions

Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt of an article originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on December 18, 2024. It was translated into English by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. What is the purpose of “gender studies”? Reading its followers, […]

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A Worrying Politicization of Medical Education

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by the Observatory of University Ethics on May 11, 2024. It was translated into English by the Observatory before being edited to align with Minding the Campus’s style guidelines. It is crossposted here with permission. Recently, the end-of-year medical exam at Sorbonne Paris Nord University was the subject of a lively […]

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