Eyal Ben-Ari

Eyal Ben-Ari (Hebrew: אייל בן ארי‎; born 1953) was a professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI).^[1] His research interests include Japan as well as the Israeli Defence Forces. He served as the head of the university's Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace until January 2007, and also taught the Introduction to Anthropology course, making him well-known to students.^[2]

Career

Ben-Ari studied sociology and sociology at HUJI, graduating with a B.A. in 1978 and an M.A. in 1980. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1984 in Social Anthropology, after which he returned to HUJI as a lecturer (1985-1990), senior lecturer (1990-1994), associate professor (1994-1998), and full professor. He has also served as a visiting professor or research fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Department of Anthropology and School of Business (1992), the National University of Singapore's Department of Japanese Studies (1992-1994 and 2001-2002), Sophia University's Faculty of Comparative Culture, Waseda University's Asia-Pacific Research Institute, and Kyoto University's Institute for Research in the Humanities (2005-2006).^[3] In 2008, a master's dissertation which he supervised became an object of public controversy due to its thesis that the refusal of Israeli soldiers to rape Arab women was a form of racism; Ben-Ari, co-supervisor Edna Lomsky-Feder, and Zali Gurevitch defended the thesis in media comments.^[4]

Sexual harassment conviction

In May 2008, a teaching assistant at Hebrew University published accusations of sexual misconduct regarding one of Ben-Ari's colleagues, which led to closer scrutiny of the department.^[5] Ben-Ari's troubles with the law began when a number of students sent an anonymous e-mail to university authorities, accusing him of rape and of threatening to withhold their research funding if they refused to have sex with him.^[6] Department chair Zali Gurevitch also said that in 2007, another student had mentioned rumours of Ben-Ari's sexual misconduct to him; Gurevitch took the matter to the university administration, but the student was unwilling to testify formally, and the matter was not further investigated. Ben-Ari was arrested in July 2008, then remanded to house arrest and banned from university premises for 30 days pending further investigation.^[2] Ben-Ari denied the charges against him, and when questioned by police would admit only that he had had a consensual affair with a student 12 years prior.^[6] In August 2008, three female students filed sexual harassment complaints against Ben-Ari.^[6] Police announced that they were also seeking students willing to file sexual assault complaints against him.^[7]

However, in September 2008 it was announced that no charges would be filed. An editorial in Haaretz criticised the media for their sensationalistic reporting of the prurient details of the incident, as compared to the lack of fanfare with which they announced that no charges would be filed.^[8] In June 2009, the State Attorney formally closed the case against Ben-Ari due to the statute of limitations.^[9] In the aftermath of the incident, HUJI proposed a rule forbidding intimate relations between students and professors.^[10][11] HUJI responded to media inquiries by stating that Ben-Ari was on sabbatical.^[12] He had been scheduled to teach at the University of Hong Kong in the fall semester of 2008.^[13]

Ben-Ari was seen visiting the HUJI campus in December 2008, to the consternation of those who had accused him.^[12] He had been scheduled to take up lecturing duties again at HUJI in early 2009, teaching one undergraduate course about family and education in Japan, and one graduate course about anthropology in Israel; however, he volunteered to delay his return while the case against him was still open.^[14] By September 2010, Ben-Ari still had not taken up lecturing duties again, though he was acting as an advisor for graduate students. Newspaper reports claimed that internal university disciplinary hearings against him were underway.^[15] In late February 2011, the university formally announced that Ben-Ari would be suspended for two years without salary or right to use research funding, and requested the Jerusalem District Prosecutor's Office look into the possibility of reopening the criminal case against him. ^[16][17]

Selected publications

• Eisenstadt, S. N.; Ben-Ari, Eyal (1990), Japanese models of conflict resolution, London and New York: Kegan Paul International, ISBN 978-0-7103-0342-4^[18]
• Ben-Ari, Eyal (1991), Changing Japanese Suburbia: a study of two present day localities, Routledge, ISBN 978-0-7103-0381-3^[19][20]
• Ben-Ari, Eyal (1997), Japanese Childcare: An Interpretive Study of Culture and Organization, London and New York: Kegan Paul International, ISBN 978-0-7007-0448-4; a study of a Kyoto preschool, intended as a theoretical study of childcare institutions, rather than an ethnographic work. It examines written and verbal communications between staff members in the high-turnover environment to determine their role in achieving the goals of the school.^[21]
• Lomsky-Feder, Edna; Ben-Ari, Eyal (2009), "The Discourse of 'Psychology' and the 'Normalization' of War in Contemporary Israel", in Sheffer, Gabriel; Barak, Oren; Oren, Amiram, צבא שיש לו מדינה? : מבט מחודש על יחסי התחום הביטחוני והתחום האזרחי בישראל (Tsava she-yesh lo medinah? Mabaṭ meḥudash ʻal yaḥase ha-teḥum ha-biṭḥoni ṿeha-teḥum ha-ezraḥi be-Yiśraʼel = An Army That Has a State? New Approaches to Civil-Security Relations in Israel) (in Hebrew), Carmel Publishing House, ISBN 978-965-407-920-4; the authors describe how criticism of war is neutered by "taking the war out of its political context and turning military service into a natural stage of development, and particularly as the arena for a rite of passage into manhood"^[22]

Edited works

• Ben-Ari, Eyal; Moeran, Brian; Valentine, James, eds. (1990), Unwrapping Japan: society and culture in anthropological perspective, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-3060-4^[23]
• Ben-Ari, Eyal; Clammer, John, eds. (2000), Japan in Singapore: Cultural Occurrences and Cultural Flows, Surrey: Curzon Press, ISBN 978-0-7007-1245-8^[24]
• Maman, Daniel; Ben-Ari, Eyal; Rosenhek, Zeev, eds. (2001), Military, State, and Society in Israel: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives, Transaction Publishers, ISBN 978-0-7658-0042-8^[25]
• Tewari Jassal, Smita; Ben Ari, Eyal, eds. (2007), The Partition Motif in Contemporary Conflicts, Sage Publications, ISBN 978-0-7619-3547-6^[26]

References

1. Eyal Ben-Ari, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2001, archived from the original on 2007-10-30
2. "Police: HU professor may have preyed on female students for years", Jerusalem Post, 2008-07-13, retrieved 2010-04-21
3. Ben-Ari, Eyal (September 2009), Curriculum Vitae (PDF), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, retrieved 2010-05-18
4. Plaut, Steven (2008-01-03), "Guilty by reason of innocence: new insanity from Israel's academic leftists", The Jewish Press, retrieved 2010-04-21
5. Ilani, Ofri; Lis, Jonathan (2008-08-01), "Professors accused of sexual harassment led 'reign of terror,' says colleague", Haaretz, retrieved 2009-10-23
6. Lis, Jonathan (2008-08-05), "Three students file harassment complaints against professor", Haaretz, retrieved 2010-04-21
7. Lis, Jonathan (2008-08-13), "Cops seek students willing to file formal complaints against professor", Haaretz, retrieved 2010-04-21
8. Levy, Gideon (2008-09-23), "Page 27, on the side", Haaretz, retrieved 2010-04-21
9. "הפרקליטות סגרה את התיק נגד פרופסור בן ארי", NRG Maariv, 2009-06-05, retrieved 2011-02-03
10. Ilani, Ofri; Feldman, Yotam (2008-08-11), "Women's groups: Lecturer-student sex should be illegal", Haaretz, retrieved 2010-04-21
11. "HU approves rule prohibiting intimate student-teacher relations", Jerusalem Post, 2008-09-14, retrieved 2009-10-21
12. Livne, Edit (2008-12-18), "אייל בן ארי שוב מחולל מהומה", NRG Maariv, retrieved 2010-05-18
13. Feldman, Yotam; Ilani, Ofri (2008-08-12), "Women's groups to Tamir: prevent sexual exploitation at universities", Haaretz, retrieved 2011-02-03
14. Livne, Edit (2009-02-27), "פרופ' בן ארי החליט שלא לחזור לאוניברסיטה העברית", NRG Maariv, retrieved 2011-02-03
15. Eli, Yossi (2010-09-21), "האונ' העברית מציגה: הסטודנטית, המרצה והעדות המפתיעה", NRG Maariv, retrieved 2011-02-03
16. בית הדין המשמעתי של האוניברסיטה העברית הרשיע את פרופ' בן-ארי בקיום יחסים אינטימיים תוך ניצול יחסי מרות, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2011-02-27, retrieved 2011-02-28
17. פסק הדין של בית הדין המשמעתי בעניין פרופ' אייל בן ארי, Office of the Academic Secretary, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2011-02-24, retrieved 2011-02-28
18. Martinez, D. P. (1991), "Reviews - S. N Eisenstadt and Eyal Ben-Ari: Japanese models of conflict resolution ...", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 54: 210, doi:10.1017/S0041977X00010259
19. Martinez, D. P. (1992), "Reviews - Eyal Ben-Ari: Changing Japanese suburbia ...", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 55: 598, doi:10.1017/S0041977X00004213
20. McCallum, John (1992), "Book Reviews - Changing Japanese suburbia ..." (PDF), Journal of Sociology 28 (2): 285, doi:10.1177/144078339202800230
21. Benjamin, Gail R., "Book Reviews - Japanese Childcare ..." (PDF), The Japan Foundation Newsletter 25 (6): 13–14
22. Pedatzur, Reuven (2009-07-05), "State of emergency", Haaretz, retrieved 2010-04-21
23. Wilson, Richard L. (1995), "Book Reviews: Eyal Ben-Ari, Brian Moeran and James Valentine (eds.), Unwrapping Japan ..." (PDF), Journal of Asian and African Studies 30: 217–218, doi:10.1177/002190969503000310
24. McVeigh, Brian J. (2003), "Book reviews - Eyal Ben-Ari and John Clammer: Japan in Singapore ...", Asian Studies Review 27 (1), doi:10.1080/10357820308713368
25. Smokovitis, Dimitrios (2003), "Book Reviews - Daniel Maman, Eyal Ben-Ari, Zeev Rosenhek, eds.: Military, State, and Society ...", Armed Forces and Society 29 (2): 319–321, doi:10.1177/0095327X0302900215
26. Singh Gill, Himmat (2007-06-03), "The divide and aftermath", The Tribune of India, retrieved 2010-04-21

Eyal Ben-Ari Official site: http://www.eyalbenari.com