Jordan Peterson first came to the public's attention in 2016
Credit: Chris Williamson
Staff at Penguin Random House have protested its decision to publish a book written by controversial Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson.
Mr Peterson, a psychology professor and self-styled opponent of political correctness, announced on Monday that he is releasing a new book titled "Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life," which is set to be released in March of next year.
Staff confronted management of Penguin Random House Canada (PRHC) at a town hall over the decision, saying that the company should not be giving a platform to Mr Peterson because of his popularity with the far-right.
According to Vice News, PRHC’s diversity and inclusion committee reportedly received at least 70 anonymous messages about the book from staff, with only “a couple” in favour of the decision to publish.
They claimed Penguin had been secretive about the future release of Mr Peterson’s book, deliberately keeping it under wraps. One employee said they would have organised a walkout had they known earlier about the book.
Another employee alleged that “people were crying in the meeting about how Mr Peterson has affected their lives” with one explaining that Mr Peterson had "radicalised their father" and another insisting the publishing of his book will "negatively affect their non-binary friend".
“The company since June has been doing all these anti-racist and allyship things and then publishing Peterson’s book completely goes against this. It just makes all of their previous efforts seem completely performative,” one told Vice.
Is in not thought that PRH in the UK have complained about the decision to publish Mr Peterson again.
Jordan Peterson at The Cambridge Union in 2018
Credit: Chris Williamson
The debate over the self-censorship by publishers has been raging in recent years, and follows Hachette’s decision to drop Woody Allen’s memoir after a staff walkout.
Staff at JK Rowling’s publisher in the UK, meanwhile, were told by Hackette told they could not refuse to work on her new children’s book The Ickabog because they disagreed with her views on transgender issues.
Mr Peterson, who has a PhD in clinical psychology and teaches at the University of Toronto, rose to prominence over his controversial views on gender.
He first came to the public’s attention in 2016 when he criticised a Canadian human rights law that he said would violate academic freedom by requiring him to use trans people’s preferred pronouns.
Mr Peterson claimed he was not attempting to misgender any specific trans people, but would not be forced to use words that, in his view, were invented by activists.
In subsequent years, he became a passionate opponent of identity politics, speech policing, and cancel culture, and is revered by many young, right-of-centre men.
He took almost a year out before returning last month, explaining he had been seeking medical treatment for withdrawal symptoms related to his use of benzodiazepine, a drug often used to treat anxiety.
He travelled as far as Russia in search of doctors who could help.
As well as his new book, Mr Peterson said he has plans for a new video series based on Exodus, the second book of the Bible.
“With God’s grace and mercy, I’ll be able to start generating original material once again and pick up where I left off,” Mr Petersen said in a YouTube video announcing his return.
In a statement, PRHC responded by saying that it remains “committed to publishing a range of voices and viewpoints”.
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