Norman's War

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the screening of The American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein, directed by David Ridgen and Nicolas Rossier, at a documentary film festival. I wondered whether this project is worth reviewing. After all, I am a complete amateur when it comes to the given subject: while I am generally aware of this scholar's work, I have not actually read any of Finkelstein's books. Even so, this biography was a welcome addition to my usual Russian and Japanese picks. Above all, the film demonstrated the limits of academic freedom in a rather brutal fashion.

How does one portray a controversial subject in a fairly objective manner? I suppose, it is not unlike writing for this website. At least, that is the impression that one of the film's co-directors, David Ridgen, gave to the audience at the Q&A session after the screening. He deliberately barely touched on the hottest topic -- the Holocaust Industry book. As a result, thematically, the biography is about Finkelstein's call to apply the lessons of the Holocaust to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the consequent charges of anti-Semitism he incurs. Ridgen stated that he aimed at a balanced portrayal of this scholar - from Dershowitz to Chomsky and family friends in between.

The documentary depicts Finkelstein's upbringing by his Holocaust-survivor parents and his struggles in the academia, including the rejection of a tenure bid at DePaul University despite the overwhelming support by his students and peers alike. Following the film, the co-director also mentioned that Finkelstein is not currently teaching, and that there is an organized drive to evict him from his rent-controlled apartment in Coney Island, which was initially inhabited by his parents.

Finkelstein comes across as brave, as he ignores violent posters and instructs a hostile student at a university speaking engagement to stop using "crocodile tears" to distract from rational arguments. He is also quite charismatic: joking throughout the documentary, he demonstrates a high level of self-criticism. Above all, he is honest. When asked to address the charge of being a "self-hating Jew", he challenges the interviewer to show how his psychological problems (existent or otherwise) affect factual data.

However, there is also an element of self-destructiveness in Norman Finkelstein. The film depicts him as a brilliant scholar, reading, analyzing, constantly at work. But, with rigorous scholasticism, there is also a profound sense of loneliness and isolation. Finkelstein is shown alone in his apartment, alone on speaking tours. When he reminisces about his mother, he tears up.

This self-destructiveness comes with a bit of naïveté. As someone concerned about Eurabia combined with questionable comments by Muslim members of the audience, I found the many images of Finkelstein's burka-clad students -- somewhat problematic and his visits to Palestinian refugee camps -- near-suicidal. While he genuinely pursues his vision of the Truth per se, many of his Muslim fans do not seem to share his idealism and appear to be solely using him for their own agenda.

Ridgen does not entirely shy away from his own conclusion in the press, "When you get right down to it, he's not really that radical at all. [...] What he advocates are international standards, United Nations resolutions, 1967 borders." If that is the case, then Finkelstein's trials are a sobering look at what happens when one steps outside the academic norms.

Article Info

Published in: Untimely Observations

Article topics:

Israel

Nina Kouprianova

Nina grew up a subway ride away from the Kremlin, and is still a proud Muscovite at heart. A PhD candidate by day, a graphic designer by night, a Japanophile and a rocker, she is a jack of all trades and master of…some!