Indian-origin author Jhumpa Lahiri turns down Noguchi Museum award

Indian-origin author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri has declined to accept an award from the Noguchi Museum in Queens in protest after it fired three employees who had worn kaffiyehs in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The museum's management viewed it as a violation of their policy against political symbols.

Lahiri's decision highlights her stance on solidarity and social justice issues. By protesting the firing of employees who expressed their support for Palestinians, she brings attention to the complexities of political expression in cultural institutions.

This move resonates with broader conversations about the intersections of art, activism, and free speech, showcasing how individuals can use their platforms to advocate for causes they believe in. It's a significant moment that reflects the ongoing debates around artistic expression and political solidarity.

“Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum said in a statement on Wednesday. “We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views,” The New York Times cited the statement as saying of Lahiri.

“We remain committed to our core mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of Isamu Noguchi’s art and legacy while upholding our values of inclusivity and openness.”

The museum's policy prohibiting employees from wearing political messages has sparked significant debate about the boundaries of self-expression in the workplace.

By enforcing this rule, the museum aims to maintain a neutral space, but it raises questions about the role of cultural institutions in social and political issues.

The firing of employees who wore kaffiyehs in solidarity with Palestinians reflects the tension between institutional policies and individual expressions of support for various causes. Lahiri's protest underscores the importance of these discussions, especially in today's climate where art and activism often intersect.

The New-York based museum, founded nearly 40 years ago by Noguchi, a Japanese American designer and sculptor, announced last month that employees during their working hours could not wear clothing or accessories expressing “political messages, slogans or symbols”.

The policy, which does not apply to visitors, was instituted after several staff members had, over a period of months, often worn kaffiyehs — scarves associated with Palestinians — for what one fired employee termed “cultural reasons”.

The museum, defending the prohibition earlier this month, said “such expressions can unintentionally alienate segments of our diverse visitorship”. A significant majority of staffers signed a petition opposing the rule.

Lahiri and Lee Ufan, a Korean-born minimalist painter, sculptor and poet, were to receive the Isamu Noguchi Award at the museum’s fall benefit gala next month.

Lahiri, who was born in London to an Indian immigrant couple, won the 2000 Pulitzer for fiction for her debut, the story collection “Interpreter of Maladies”, and has since published several books of fiction and nonfiction in both English and Italian.

She is also the director of the creative writing programme at Barnard College.

Questions of how to express solidarity with Israelis or Palestinians have divided cultural institutions since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, allegedly killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Israel’s subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 people, according to local health authorities.

Lahiri was one of thousands of scholars who signed a letter to university presidents in May expressing solidarity with campus protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, calling it “unspeakable destruction”.

With PTI inputs