The matter seems uphill now, but, having conferred with Nadia, there are
many other ways to make an impact. Institutions(academic or otherwise)
often help achieve the very opposite, i.e., the reproduction and
intensification of inequalities. So, a boycott on Israeli institutions
(I stand corrected), and the Israeli government in general (along with
closely associated corporations) sounds much more effective to me. This
has even been supported by some dissident Israeli academics, too. And it
does not preclude rewarding dissident Israeli academics either; there
are always means to do so outside of formal institutions (there does
exist an academic grassroots, too!). Being against a boycott of Israeli
academic institutions on the basis of wanting to avoid collective
punishment in any case achieves very little, when Palestinian academic
institutions, never mind our Palestinian colleagues, are repressed, and
violently so by the Israeli government. In any case, initiatives that
comprise part of a larger movement should be more effective (e.g., pacbi
and stopthewall websites for info), especially when people remain in
touch and are active for the long term. The boycott on corporations
providing material support to the Israeli government is another example,
and pressure can be brought to universities, one at a time if necessary,
to join such a boycott. Moreover, joining a wider established movement
can ensure a democratic process whereby initiatives around the world
respect the people in whose name they are acting (i.e. Palestinians).
Cheers,
saed
Camila Bassi wrote:
> Bad news for both those advocating a boycott and those (like myself)
> arguing against it on the grounds that it would be a counter-productive
> political strategy...
> The UCU leadership have got their lawyers to declare an academic boycott
> of Israel illegal. Worse still, and to declare ANY DEBATE on it in the
> branches illegal too.
> Comradely,
> Camila
>
--
Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro
Department of Geography, SUNY New Paltz
1 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY 12561
tel: 1/845/2572991, fax: 1/845/2572992
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Senior Editor
Capitalism Nature Socialism: A Journal of Ecosocialism
Editor
ACME: An international e-journal for critical geographies
http://www.acme-journal.org/
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