Ernesto Priego, a doctoral candidate at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies, University College, London, and a scheduled presenter at this year's International Comic Arts Forum, has been denied entry into the United States of America. The United States government declined to renew Mr. Priego's visa and has not given any explanation why he will not be allowed in the country.
Mr. Priego's exclusion is part of a recent and disturbing practice of denying entry to foreign scholars, and an infringement on academic freedom in the United States.
I have included Mr. Priego's paper abstract and biography below.
“The Tell-Tale Smell of Burning Paper: ‘Logic of Form’ and the Origin of Comics”
Inspired by Walter Benjamin's philosophy of history, this paper discusses the origin of comics through a study of the “logic of form” in comic artists from the 1870s to the 1930s: the departure point being the recognition of a series of formal aspects that could be agreed as essential or definitive of the comics language. Different technological and artistic factors were involved in its development, resulting from the convergence of industrial development in the form of a transformation of printing and distribution techniques, artistic trends, and significative codes employed at the time.
Ernesto Priego, a poet, essayist, translator, and PhD candidate at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies, University College, London, has taught English literature and critical theory at major Mexican universities and published a translation of Jessica Abel's award-winning graphic novel, La Perdida (Astiberri Editores, Spain, 2007) and a first book of poetry, Not Even Dogs (Meritage Press, 2006).
Readers may judge for themselves what sort of security or immigration risk he poses to the American people.
Update: Tom Spurgeon, Heidi MacDonald, Mike Rhode, Chris Mautner, and the Chronicle of Higher Education cover the story on their blogs.
America's immigration and travel policies manage the trifecta of being bureaucratic, evil, and stupid. Hooray for my country, which prefers to be terrified than heroic.
Posted by: Greg Morrow | October 10, 2007 at 02:04 PM
I appreciate the post, but I would like to say that I wasn't "denied entry"; my visa was not renewed, most probably because I did not apply for it in person and did not submit enough documents proving what I'd be doing in the States. So they didn't know I was going to a conference. I had just applied for a normal renewal.
I don't want to make any further public comments on this matter, but I wanted to publicly clarify the distinction between being denied entry as a scholar and not having gotten the paper renewed. Information travels very fast on the Internet, and sometimes it gets distorted as it flies over the seas of bits and pixels.
I am, of course, profoundly sorry I won't be able to attend ICAF...
Please receive my kindest regards.
Posted by: Ernesto Priego | October 11, 2007 at 05:25 PM
Ernesto, we're all sorry you won't be able to attend as well. We hope you'll allow Charles to read your paper in absentia so we can at least hear your work.
Thanks for weighing in publicly on this, and for your generous and conciliatory comments. You're right to call our attention to the difference between being denied entry and being denied entry as a scholar. Unfortunately, the end result is the same either way, a limit on academic freedom. I doubt the government had any reason or intention to bar a presentation on the history of comics, which is part of what makes your treatment so capricious, so absurdly unjust.
Posted by: Marc | October 12, 2007 at 10:59 AM
Indeed, Mark, it's more a random thing than anything else. Also, I must confess I should have known better and taken more precautions. To be honest, I've been so overwhelmed with work and family matters here in London and Mexico that I just didn't have the peace of mind to prepare my application more carefully.
It's very easy (and normal) to feel upset about something like this. It's indeed a shame that these procedures are making it more and more difficult -and in the end less desirable- to go to the US, whether it is for work or for pleasure. This definitely affects international exchange of information and the construction of knowledge. How can we as humanity expect to grow and achieve world peace if we can't talk to each other, know how we live, see each others as equal?
What bothers me a bit is the rationale behind , that the rest of the world really wants to go and live in the US. Not everyone does. Actually, there's people who definitely don't want to, and are only interested in visiting the country, exchanging knowledge, work towards the common good. But when one sees things like this, well, it's more than scary.
I always enjoy going to conferences in the US. I have lots of friends in academia and the arts, people from all backgrounds. When I was in Boston last April presenting at the PCA national conference I visited the National Public Library and The John Adams Library. John Adams was the kind of politician that understood the importance of ethical politics, peace, tolerance and respect.
I look forward to meeting you in person again, Marc, and give you a long, brotherly abrazo.
Greetings from London.
Posted by: Ernesto Priego | October 14, 2007 at 05:43 AM
(Sorry for misspelling your name, at the top of that comment, Marc!)
Posted by: Ernesto Priego | October 14, 2007 at 05:44 AM