From Durban to Cape Town: The perversion of the honorary doctorate

The article critiques the perversion of honorary doctorates, particularly highlighting awards given by the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa on August 28. These honors were bestowed upon individuals with controversial records concerning antisemitism and Israel. Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, received a doctorate despite her role in the 2001 Durban Conference, which Tom Lantos called "the most sickening and unabashed display of hate for Jews" he had witnessed since the Nazi period. Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, also received an honorary doctorate from UWC, adding to three others she received this spring, despite a history of antisemitic remarks and accusations of fabricating credentials. Naledi Pandor, South Africa's former foreign minister, and Adila Hassim SC, lead counsel in South Africa's ICJ case against Israel, were also honored. The article argues that these awards serve to legitimize personal politics and conscript university names into these agendas, signaling a troubling shift in what academic honors represent.