Wally Hurst — Academic Freedom, English Professors, and the Shakespeare Authorship Question

Oxfordians and other doubters have been saying for years that the Shakespeare Authorship Question is a legitimate area for academic research and further study. The response generally has been a series of personal and professional attacks, mostly by Shakespeare “experts.” These people, usually tenured university English professors, have attacked our scholarship, our sanity, and our credentials, calling us “amateurs,” “snobs,” “idiots,” “conspiracy theorists,” and even Holocaust deniers.

The following is an excerpt from the American Association of University Professors Code of Ethics:

“As colleagues, professors have obligations that derive from common membership in the community of scholars. Professors do not discriminate against or harass colleagues. They respect and defend the free inquiry of associates, even when it leads to findings and conclusions that differ from their own. Professors acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in their professional judgment of colleagues.”

This organization, present on over 450 college campuses nationwide, is a real and potentially powerful ally for us as we seek to enlist the help of hidden authorship doubters who are now in “mainstream” colleges and universities. Based on this information, I daresay we may be able to free these individuals so that they can voice their opinions openly and not fear rejection or demotion by their peers.

We should all respect the right of free inquiry and “strive to be objective” when we consider the work of others. And we have a new and powerful potential ally in the AAUP that we need to cultivate as soon as possible.

This talk was presented on October 14, 2017, at the SOF Annual Conference in Chicago.

Wally Hurst, B.A., M.A., J.D., is the Director of the Norris Theatre at Louisburg College, where he has instructed courses in Drama, Acting, Public Speaking, Political Science and Business Law. Wally is responsible for the programming and utilization of the intimate 175-seat Norris Theatre, which hosts student productions, classes, and professional and community productions. He has directed over 150 productions on all levels of theatre, including many in the Shakespeare canon. Wally has extensive experience producing, directing, and teaching theatre.

Hurst earned his B.A. in English, Economics, and Political Science from Duke University, his Doctorate in Law (J.D.) from the University of the Pacific, and his M.A. in Shakespeare Authorship Studies, in 2012, from Brunel University in London. He is one of only three Americans with the latter advanced degree. He is a member of the American Association of University Professors and the American Political Science Association. He is also a trained bibliographer and paleographer, and a Reader at the British Library in London and the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.

[edwardpowers]

Well argued and extremely relevant. Thank you.