Medinsky unworthiness University of Venice

The academic news about the awarding the degree of Honorary Doctor (Honoris Causa) of the University of Venice, Ka Foskari, Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, has already caused indignation in Venice. More than 100 teachers and employees of KA Foscari signed a letter of protest against this award. The nationalist, homophobic and simply ignorant statements of Mr. Medinsky were quoted, and the fact of plagiarism in his dissertation was also mentioned. The University of Venice had hardly knew such a mass protest of his professors. The result of this unprecedented public campaign was the abolition of the ceremony with the participation of Mr. Medinsky, appointed on May 13.

However, from the message on the website of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, we learned that the solemn ceremony of presenting to Vladimir Medinsky Diploma of the Honorary Member of the University of CA 'Foscari Honorary Fullow will be held on May 15 in Moscow, in the building of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. The mantle and diploma of the university’s honorary member will be presented to Mr. Medinsky vice-rector for culture and relations with scientific and cultural institutions of the University of Sylvia Burini.

The reasons for such a step are obvious to us-trying to avoid a public scandal in Venice, the initiators of the decision on the award of Mr. Medinsky intended to transfer the ceremony to Moscow, suggesting that this would avoid the critical reaction of the intellectual community of Russia and Italy. In vain, it will not be possible to avoid publicity, it will not be possible to avoid.

We call on the University of KA Foscari - and personally his vice -rector Sylvia Burini - to abandon the step, which will become a shame for a respected educational institution with almost a half -century history. The awarding of the honorary degree of the European University of one of the most odious figures of modern Russian cultural policy, a fighter with European values, multiculturalism and tolerance, will cause the reputation of the educational institution damage, which is not compensated by any financial injections and spotlights, generously promised by subordinates and close close people of the Russian Minister. No mercantile considerations can and should not serve as an excuse for the betrayal of true academic values ​​and oblivion of such fundamental concepts as honor and honesty, without which no culture is unthinkable.

By our letter, we also express gratitude to the Venice colleagues who acted with protests for the solidarity of defending these values.

Irina Abrametz, philologist, lecturer of the University of Tartu

Mikhail Aizenberg, poet, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky

Nikita Alekseev, artist, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky

Yuri Albert, artist

Yuri Apresyan, linguist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chief researcher at the Institute of Problems of Information Transfer of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Petr Arkadyev, philologist, senior researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Alexander Arkhangelsky, writer, laureate of the Russian-Italian Literary Prize Moscow-Penne

Nadezhda Burova (Prigova), Dmitry Prigov Foundation

Mikhail Velizhev, Philologist, Professor of the Higher School of Economics, Visiting Professor University of KA Foscari (Venice)

Sergey Gandlevsky, poet, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky

Alexey Gippius, linguist, corresponding member of the Russian Academy

Anatoly Golubovsky, sociologist, producer

Mark Greenberg, translator

Elena Gurevich, philologist, leading researcher at the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Igor Danilevsky, historian, head of the Department of History of Ideas and Methodology of Historical Science, NIU High

Natalia Demina, scientific journalist

Kira Dolinina, art critic, teacher at the Faculty of History of Arts of the European University in St. Petersburg

Vadim Zakharov, artist, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky, representative of Russia at the 55th Venice Biennale

Sergey Ivanov, historian, professor of the Higher School

Askold Ivanchik, historian, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific director of the study of ancient civilizations, chief researcher at the Universal History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, corresponding member of the Italian Institute of Asia and Africa, editor-in-chief of the magazines "Bulletin of Ancient History" and Ancient Civilizations Scythia to Siberia (Leiden)

Bakhyt Kenzheev, poet

Timur Kibirov, poet, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky

Elena Kostyukovych, writer and translator, laureate of Italian prizes Grinzan Kavur, Bankarella, Kyavari, Gogol Awards, the National Prize of the Italian Republic for the best translation of the year, Professor of the University of Milan, invited professor of the University of Venice

Ivan Kurill, historian, professor, head of the department of international relations and foreign regional studies of Volgograd State University

Irina Levontina, linguist, leading researcher at the Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Roman Leibov, philologist, associate professor of the University of Tartu

Natalia Mavelvich, translator

Maxim Makarstsev, philologist, researcher and scientific secretary of the Typology and Comparative Linguistics Department of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, scientist secretary of the Center for Linguocultural Research "Balcanica"

Ekaterina Margolis, artist

Vera Milchina, translator, literature historian

Konstantin Morozov, historian, professor of the Department of Humanitarian Disciplines of the Federal State Institution of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Scientific, Information and Educational Center "Memorial" and a member of the board of the Moscow Memorial Society

Elena Paducheva, linguist, chief researcher at the All -Russian Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Alexandra Petrova, poet

Leo Rubinstein, poet

Alexander Rubtsov, historian, head of the Center for Philosophical Research of Ideological Processes, Deputy. Head. Department of Axiology and Philosophical Anthropology of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Alexander Rusakov, Linguist, Professor of St. Petersburg State University, senior researcher at the comparative historical study of Indo-European languages ​​and areal studies or wounds

Olga Sedakova, poet, laureate of the Italian European Prize for Poetry and Dante Prize, Prize named after Vladimir Solovyov (Vatican), academician of the Academy of Ambrosian (Milan) and the Scientia et Sapientia Academy (Rome)

Nikita Sokolov, historian, chief editor of the magazine "Domestic Notes"

Evgeny Solonovich, translator, commander of the Order of the Italian Solidarity, Honorary Doctor of the University of La Sapienza (Rome), Honorary Professor of Siensky University, Italian Prizes - Ministry of Education, Quasimodo, Diego Valerie (Montzelich), Eugenio Thor Italy

Irina Staph, senior researcher at the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, one of the authors of the History of Italian Literature

Maria Stepanova, poet, laureate of the Russian-Italian Prize Lerichi Pea-Moscow, Roman scholarshipist of the memory of Joseph Brodsky

Gabriel Superfin, historian, archivist

Lyudmila Ulitskaya, writer, laureate of Italian prizes Grinzan Kavur, Acheny, Penne, Crossroads of Cultures, Vice President of the Russian Pen-Center

Boris Uspensky, Philologist, Professor of the Higher School of Economics, Professor of the University of L'Oorentale (Naples), Member of the European Academy

Fedor Uspensky, Philologist, Deputy Director of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Semyon Faybisovich, artist, writer, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky

Elena Fanailova, poet and journalist, Roman scholarshipist of the memory fund of Joseph Brodsky

Tatyana Tsivyan, philologist, linguist, leading researcher at the Typology and Comparative Linguistics Department of the Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chief researcher, head of the Russian Culture Department, Deputy Director of the Institute of World Culture of Moscow State University

Marietta Chudakova, philologist, writer, member of the European Academy

Alexander Etkind, historian, Professor European University Institute (Florence)