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A Message from Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, regarding the Encyclopedia of Race and Racism.
In November 2007, Gale, under its Macmillan Reference USA imprint, published the Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Edited and written by scholars from a variety of fields, this work examines the anthropological, sociological, historical, economic, cultural, and scientific aspects of race and racism in the modern era.
The encyclopedia contains over 400 signed, peer-reviewed articles. A complete list of articles, contributors and their affiliations, and editorial board members is available from a special link* on the Gale Web site.
One article in the encyclopedia, "Zionism," has sparked controversy among some readers who have challenged the accuracy of the article and questioned whether this topic is appropriate for inclusion in an encyclopedia on race and racism.
Gale's role as publisher of the encyclopedia is not to present a particular viewpoint on any topic, but to provide well founded information that presents a broad scope of knowledge and views on a subject. Further, while we cannot and do not shy away from controversial views, we are committed to providing comprehensive, respectful coverage. Based on the constructive feedback we have received, we have concluded that we should offer a broader range of views on the subject of Zionism.
With an apology to those who believe that we failed, in this case, to live up to our high standards to publish a fair and balanced account, we are taking the following steps. First, we suggest that readers visit the Web sites of organizations such as the Zionist Organization of America (www.zoa.org) and the American Jewish Committee (www.ajc.org) who have contacted Gale to communicate their objections and express their viewpoints.
In addition, we have begun to commission a series of articles for the online edition of the encyclopedia that will address these objections in several ways. We will commission several articles on Zionism that engage perspectives other than those given in the current article. Gale will work with well respected scholars to plan these additional articles and to identify authoritative authors. In addition, in recognition that national movements do not equate to racism, we will commission articles that address other forms of nationalism in order to present this topic in a broader context.
Gale's objective is to provide publications that support critical thinking and informed debate. Gale's editorial integrity in presenting a broad array of viewpoints in a balanced manner is well known and acknowledged in the library and academic communities. Accordingly, where our readers and customers identify ways to improve our publications to deliver on this goal, we gratefully consider them.
We will update this message with further information as authors for additional Zionism articles are chosen and other topics are added.