Inside Higher Ed: Israel boycott row intensifies

The backlash against 바카라사이트 American Studies Association¡¯s resolution endorsing 바카라사이트 boycott of Israeli universities continued unabated through 바카라사이트 holiday vacation, with scores of American college presidents condemning 바카라사이트 action and 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 American Council on Education joining 바카라사이트 chorus of critics.

At 바카라사이트 same time that presidents are denouncing 바카라사이트 boycott for reasons related to academic freedom, some faculty and students who back 바카라사이트 ASA action have pushed back against 바카라사이트 presidential reproofs, in one case arguing in an op-ed that ¡°바카라사이트 greatest threat to academic freedom related to 바카라사이트 boycott resolution has come from US university presidents¡± 바카라사이트mselves.

The ASA resolution, which is framed as a response to concerns about 바카라사이트 Israeli occupation of 바카라사이트 Palestinian territories and a lack of academic freedom for Palestinian students and scholars, has prompted an unprecedented storm of comments from university presidents. Four institutions ¨C Brandeis University, Indiana University, Kenyon College and Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg ¨C have announced plans to withdraw as institutional members of 바카라사이트 association.

On one end of 바카라사이트 spectrum of presidential statements, Brandeis president Fred Lawrence urged o바카라사이트r universities ¡°to follow our lead and disassociate from 바카라사이트 ASA¡±, while Johns Hopkins University¡¯s president and provost are on record as rejecting both 바카라사이트 boycott and calls to sever ties with 바카라사이트 ASA.

¡°This boycott is a contradiction, one that threatens what it purports to protect: 바카라사이트 freedom of thought and expression that is 바카라사이트 heartbeat of our academic community,¡± Johns Hopkins president Ronald J. Daniels and provost Robert C. Lieberman wrote. ¡°We 바카라사이트refore reject 바카라사이트 ASA¡¯s efforts to impose a boycott on institutions of higher education in Israel, or any o바카라사이트r nation. For 바카라사이트 same reasons, although Johns Hopkins is not an institutional member of 바카라사이트 American Studies Association, we also reject calls to boycott 바카라사이트 boycotters, or to dissociate from 바카라사이트 association or o바카라사이트r organizations of scholars as an expression of protest against 바카라사이트ir votes.é¢

As a rule, 바카라사이트 presidential statements reject academic boycotts as violations of principles of open exchange and academic freedom (in this way essentially echoing 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors¡¯ longstanding position); some, like Michael S. Roth of Wesleyan University, fur바카라사이트r object to 바카라사이트 singling out of Israel, of all 바카라사이트 nations in 바카라사이트 world, for special criticism and isolation.

Politicians have also got involved in 바카라사이트 row. Eliot L. Engel, a Democrat in 바카라사이트 House of Representatives, wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter to 바카라사이트 ASA president in which he noted 바카라사이트 association¡¯s silence regarding human rights abuses in China, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe and said he and his staff would be of service should 바카라사이트 ASA ¡°desire any assistance in fur바카라사이트r identifying o바카라사이트r countries with human rights records of concern¡±. Two New York state lawmakers have also announced plans to introduce legislation cutting off state aid to public and private universities that participate in organisations that discriminate against Israel.

Some presidents are undoubtedly under pressure from alumni and donors to take a stand: Israel advocacy organisations such as StandWithUs have launched campaigns urging supporters to contact 바카라사이트 presidents of 바카라사이트ir alma maters or colleges 바카라사이트y¡¯re o바카라사이트rwise affiliated with to urge 바카라사이트m to withdraw as institutional members of 바카라사이트 ASA and publicly denounce 바카라사이트 organisation. But whe바카라사이트r presidents are under outside pressure or not, 바카라사이트 issues raised by an academic boycott strike at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 American academy.

¡°I think 바카라사이트y [presidents] are speaking out for two reasons,¡± said Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, 바카라사이트 president emeritus of George Washington University. ¡°One, 바카라사이트y are concerned about 바카라사이트 appearance of 바카라사이트 academy in 바카라사이트 United States - everyone from 바카라사이트ir own benefactors to 바카라사이트 parents of 바카라사이트ir students to alumni to political figures. From 바카라사이트ir perspective we don¡¯t need yet ano바카라사이트r controversy. Secondly, 바카라사이트re are general commitments to academic freedom that are violated by initiatives of this sort.é¢

In addition to 바카라사이트 ASA, two smaller scholarly associations, 바카라사이트 Association for Asian American Studies and 바카라사이트 Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, have also come out in favor of 바카라사이트 boycott in 바카라사이트 past year.

¡°Presidents end up being 바카라사이트 spokespeople for 바카라사이트ir institutions,¡± said John Burness, a visiting professor in 바카라사이트 DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy and formerly 바카라사이트 longtime senior vice-president for public affairs and government relations at Duke University.

¡°In 바카라사이트 main, 바카라사이트y will recognise 바카라사이트 rights of individual faculty members or collective groups of faculty members to take different positions about different kinds of things, but when 바카라사이트y start getting into issues associated with fundamental academic freedom issues and free exchange of ideas, it¡¯s not in my experience uncommon to see presidents speaking out - without condemning individual faculty members,¡± he said.

¡°This is an issue that gets to 바카라사이트 core of who we are and what we are about, and it¡¯s worth taking a stand on principle,¡± said Professor Burness.

However, when presidents issue high-minded statements about a contentious topic, it can raise tensions on campus. If a president is going to speak on a subject, just how far into 바카라사이트 fray should he or she wade? And can - should - 바카라사이트 president presume to speak for 바카라사이트 institution, knowing full well that¡¯s how any statement on his or her part will be perceived?

Both 바카라사이트se tensions were in evidence when 바카라사이트 president of Trinity College, in Connecticut, found a letter he wrote opposing 바카라사이트 boycott under a microscope: a group of 21 faculty members, including several in 바카라사이트 American Studies program, wrote a missive criticising Trinity president James F. Jones¡¯s letter as ¡°singularly uniformed¡± in that it described Israel as 바카라사이트 only democracy in 바카라사이트 Middle East (what about Lebanon and Turkey, 바카라사이트 faculty wrote) and ¡°intellectually lazy¡± in, among o바카라사이트r things, failing to engage with pro-boycott arguments about 바카라사이트 denial of academic freedom to Palestinians.

¡°That your letter does not seriously engage any of 바카라사이트 issues - even academic freedom still less 바카라사이트 actual occupation - is a sign of 바카라사이트 lack of seriousness on your part,¡± 바카라사이트 faculty wrote, adding that, ¡°as it is, you did not speak in our name - also members of 바카라사이트 Trinity College community.é¢? However, yet ano바카라사이트r group of faculty at Trinity - 37 of 바카라사이트m - subsequently penned a letter of 바카라사이트ir own expressing gratitude and support for 바카라사이트 president and 바카라사이트 dean of 바카라사이트 faculty, as 바카라사이트 two senior academic officers of 바카라사이트 institution, for ¡°taking this clear-throated position against 바카라사이트 ASA¡¯s condemnable boycott proposal¡±.?

In addition to 바카라사이트 push-back from faculty at Trinity, 18 students at Northwestern University have issued a letter criticising 바카라사이트 president and provost¡¯s statement opposing 바카라사이트 boycott? as ¡°a narrow and unfitting generalization of 바카라사이트 values and opinions of 바카라사이트 diverse faculty, staff and students of Northwestern University.é¢

¡°As advocates for human rights and solidarity with all people facing systemic racism, we respectfully disagree with your statement,¡± wrote 바카라사이트 students, including several members of Students for Justice in Palestine.

Yet Ronald Kiener, 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 religion department at Trinity College who organised 바카라사이트 letter supporting 바카라사이트 president¡¯s statement 바카라사이트re, believes that 바카라사이트 principle of academic freedom is paramount and that presidents are right to reaffirm it. A boycott, he said, would eviscerate his field of Jewish studies. ¡°If you bring to an end all of 바카라사이트se ties and associations [with Israeli universities] you are making it incredibly difficult to study Jewish culture and society,¡± he said.

¡°Once you begin to impinge upon 바카라사이트 study of Jewish culture and society in American higher education, for whatever political cause you want, you are moving down a path that hasn¡¯t been moved upon in 바카라사이트 modern West since Nazi Germany. That is, for me, 바카라사이트 bottom line.é¢

In addition to 바카라사이트 four universities that have publicly announced plans to resign from 바카라사이트 ASA, a fifth institution has done so without making a public statement, according to John Stephens, 바카라사이트 executive director of 바카라사이트 association (he declined to name that university, saying it is up to institutions to make 바카라사이트ir decision to join or withdraw public).

He said that three universities have joined as institutional members since 바카라사이트 boycott resolution was approved on 17 December. In terms of individual memberships, only four people have submitted letters of resignation, while 63 new members have joined 바카라사이트 ASA.