Mark Bauerlein has written a devilish essay for Minding the Campus. His subject is the response Stanley Fish wrote back in 1996 when the Duke journal Social Text was a laughingstock for having published an intentionally idiotic article by Alan Sokal. As executive director of Duke University Press, Fish had to defend the journal, and did so by blaming Sokal for his “deception.” It’s worth revisiting this revealing kerfuffle from time to time.

In an e-mail exchange, Mark reminded me that after the National Association of Scholars set up a chapter at Duke, Fish tried to ensure that no member could be chosen for any important university committee. A modern-day, politically correct version of the old “Your kind ain’t welcome here.” I wonder if Fish ever tried to explain why NAS was truly the villain, just as Sokal was.