Ghent University Suspends Nathan Cofnas Following Academic Debate Over Jason Arday's Plagiarism and Racial Theories

Ghent University has suspended Nathan Cofnas, a postdoctoral researcher, pending a disciplinary investigation into his public statements and academic qualifications. The suspension follows a period of intense media scrutiny after Cofnas accused sociologist Jason Arday of being a serial plagiarist and fabulist. Arday, who was the youngest Black professor ever hired by the University of Cambridge, died by suicide following the controversy. While many scholars defend Cofnas under the banner of academic freedom, others argue that his

Sources

• Middle East Eye
  Exclusive: Cambridge colleagues argued a Google search would have prevented Nathan Cofnas hiring
• Reuters
  US academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism allowed to resume some work
• The Guardian
  Ghent professors challenged expertise of Jason Arday’s plagiarism accuser
• Inside Higher Ed
  In Defense of Nathan Cofnas
• The Chronicle of Higher Education
  Should Jason Arday’s Accuser Be Defended? American Scholars Disagree.