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Controversy over Distribution Arrangement with Pluto Press
Pluto Press was 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." [2]
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."[3] A group of six pro-Israel organizaitons, including the National Christian Leaqdership Council for Israel and the Michigan chapters of the American Jewish Congress, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and B'nati Brith, issued a statement describing Kovel's book as "often anti-Semitic in nature."[4] 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." [5] Three University of Michigan regents called on U-M Press to end its relationship with Pluto Press. [6] The Regents criticized distribution of Kovel's book on the grounds that it "debases the press’ franchise and leaves the press and the university open to damage." [7]
The U-M press suspended distribution of Pluto Press titles in August, but resumed distribution in October.[8]
In December, an editorial in the Detroit Jewish News called on the Press to sever all ties to Pluto Press.[9]
In January, 2008, the Press issued new Distribution Guidelines[10] 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.[11] 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[12] whereas Pluto Press has "a radical political agenda."[13]
Publishing list
Today, Pluto have over 500 titles in print and represent authors from a wide range of progressive political viewpoints including the following:
Classical authors
- Karl Marx
- Frederick Engels
- Leon Trotsky
- Frantz Fanon
- Andre Gorz
- Manning Marable
- Jack London
- Antonio Gramsci
Contemporary political writers
- Noam Chomsky
- Edward Said
- Howard Zinn
- bell hooks
- Ariel Dorfman
- Susan George
- John Pilger
- Ziauddin Sardar
- Israel Shahak
- Greg Palast
- Milan Rai
- William Rivers Pitt
- Boris Kagarlitsky
- Robin Hahnel
- Saul Landau
- Norton Mezvinsky
- Sheila Rowbotham
- Peter Fryer
- Joseph Rotblat
- Frank Füredi
- Eduardo Galeano
- Vandana Shiva
- Sara Roy
In translation
Pluto Press are noted for publishing books on controversial issues - Greg Palast's The Best Democracy Money Can Buy first revealed vote rigging in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. Other notable Pluto authors include Noam Chomsky, Istvan Pogany1, Susan George, Paul Rogers and John Pilger.
Pluto Press Australia is not related to the British company.
External links
1 Professor Pogany, Istvan, The Roma Cafe: Human Rights and the Rights of the Romani People, Pluto Press, April 2004.
