Welcome to current affairs. my name is David Robinson.

I am the editor-in-chief of Current Affairs magazine.

I am joined today by Professor David Detmer.

He is a professor of philosophy at Purdue.

He is also the author of the book, the

wonderfully titled book, I should say, xenophobia, the battle over history in education,

politics, and scholarship, about which the legendary Noam Chomsky says that it is a major contribution to bringing

Howard Zinn's greatest contributions to even broader public attention and exposing features

of intellectual and political culture that are of no little interest. Professor David Detmer,

thank you so much for joining us on current affairs today. My pleasure. Thank you for inviting me.

Well, I have to ask you, as I said, I love the title, Xenophobia.

I think that's a brilliant pun.

But let's start with why an entire book about the fight over Howard Zit?

Well, how it got started for me is that Mitch Daniels, who had been the governor of my state, Indiana,

when he was named president of my university, Purdue University, I should mention I am at a regional branch campus.

I'm at Purdue Northwest, but he was named president of the entire Purdue system.

And right around the time that happened, it was revealed, it was an AP reporter who,

through I think a Freedom of Information Act search had gotten it, it was revealed that he had

sent emails to his subordinates. This was on the occasion of Howard Zinn's death.

He sent an email saying, oh, this terrible academic has passed away. He wrote a horrible book,

a people's history of the United States. It's a terrible book. I'm paraphrasing, obviously.

We have to make sure it's not being taught anywhere in Indiana.

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