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This is the first time I have heard about academic boycotts. Whether this practice is uncommon in Canada, or I am just not aware of it, I am not sure. But it seems that boycotting a group of individuals based on the actions of their government would be counter-productive. There are multiple forms of protest, and stating that "academics are colluding with the Israeli government by not standing up against it" seems like an "if you are not with us, you are against us" statement. Should not our goal be the creation of a strong international archaeological community which can combat these issues as a force? I see dialog, communication and community as our greatest weapon. Is there not some other way of expressing outrage over polities without alienating members of the archaeological community? Sincerely, Danielle Danielle Macdonald PhD Candidate University of Toronto On 6/15/07, Sam Hardy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > I don't know much about the Sudanese situation, but isn't one of the > reasons the boycott of Israeli academics is justified, the fact that Israel > is supposed to be a democracy and therefore its government and its actions, > ultimately the responsibility of the electorate? In Sudan, there's no > illusion of democracy and so no similar freedom to act (and so > responsibility to do so) on the part of its academics. > > On 15/06/07, Chuck Jones <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > Whether or not there are "too few sudanese academics to bother > > boycotting" or not may be open to > > question, but there is certainly archaeological work by foreign missions > > being undertaken in the > > Sudan: > > > > http://www.nubiansociety.org/MDASP_map.htm > > > > > > -- > - - - > > Sam Hardy > > DPhil candidate > > University of Sussex > > Placing cultural rights: resolving conflicts over cultural heritage - > querying cultures' rights and archaeologists' responsibilities > > http://human-rights-archaeology.blogspot.com >