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I suppose that to an extent failure to act is a sign of approbation, silence can be misconstrued as a vote of confidence. As I understood it the academic boycott is about British academics and universities not collaborating with Israeli universities. I suppose that precedent shows that some boycotts do work, as did the one against South Africa. Dialogue of course has a part to play, but maybe the adoption of the Academic Boycott is because after 40 years of settlement dialogue has largely failed to deliver material change, better lives or an independent state within pre 67 borders for the Palestinians. Dialogue can, of course, in certain situations be seen to add legitimacy and even material support to what are illegitimate acts. _____ From: Discussion list of Archaeologists for Global Justice [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Danielle Macdonald Sent: 15 June 2007 8:52 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Fw: British Academy restates opposition to academic boycotts 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 < <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [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 < <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [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