 "Jhumpa Lahiri")
Jhumpa Lahiri | Photo: Reuters
Indian-origin Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, has declined the prestigious 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in protest of the Noguchi Museum’s recently implemented dress code policy.
Lahiri’s decision comes in response to the museum’s new regulations, which prohibit staff from wearing garments that express political messages, slogans, or symbols during working hours. The policy had led to the dismissal of three staff members who wore ‘keffiyehs’, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, prompting significant backlash.
Lahiri, born in London to Indian immigrant parents, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2000 for her debut story collection Interpreter of Maladies. She is currently the director of the creative writing programme at Barnard College and has published works in both English and Italian.
The museum confirmed her withdrawal in a statement to The New York Times, saying, “We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views.” However, the institution reiterated its commitment to its core mission of fostering appreciation for the art and legacy of its founder, Japanese-American designer and sculptor Isamu Noguchi.
Lahiri was expected to share the award with Lee Ufan, a Korean-born minimalist painter and sculptor, at the museum’s annual benefit gala next month.
Noguchi Museum’s new dress code policy
The Isamu Noguchi Museum, founded almost 40 years ago, introduced a controversial policy last month – enforcing a ban on political clothing and accessories for employees, including the kaffiyeh, which has strong cultural ties to Palestinian identity. Staff members who adorned keffiyehs were deemed a violation of this code.
In defending the policy, the museum noted that such expressions could unintentionally alienate sections of its diverse visitor base. The decision to dismiss the employees sparked internal discontent, with a significant majority of staff signing a petition opposing the rule.
The staff petition protesting the new dress code policy highlighted Noguchi’s own internment during World War II in an Arizona detention camp for Japanese Americans, calling attention to the historical weight of suppressing political expression.
Israel-Hamas conflict
The author’s withdrawal from the award comes amid broader cultural debates over expressions of solidarity in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Following the attack by Hamas on Israel in October 2023, and Israel’s subsequent military response in Gaza, cultural institutions have grappled with how to address the divisive issue.
More than 41,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of the conflict, according to local health authorities. Lahiri has been vocal in her stance, joining thousands of scholars in signing a letter earlier this year expressing solidarity with protests against Israel’s military actions.
First Published: Sep 26 2024 | 4:08 PM IST
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