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Sorry, forgot to choose the mail list address. The boycott of northern Cyprus is different though - at least, in some ways, more complex. It's a boycott driven by the Greek Cypriot community, of work in and with the Turkish Cypriot community, to challenge the Turkish army's occupation. As the Turkish Cypriot community's massive protests against the regime (some reaching 80,000 people from a population of 200,000 - equivalent to about 24 million in Britain or about 120 million in the US), the Turkish army's friends the Grey Wolves' murders of Turkish Cypriot dissidents and the army's own recent blacklisting of insufficiently cooperative Turkish Cypriot media (including the northern Cypriot administration's own radio and television organisation) show, however, the Turkish Cypriot community is not the one responsible for the occupation. On 20/06/07, Sam Hardy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > The boycott of northern Cyprus is different though - at least, in some > ways, more complex. It's a boycott driven by the Greek Cypriot community, > of work in and with the Turkish Cypriot community, to challenge the Turkish > army's occupation. > > As the Turkish Cypriot community's massive protests against the regime > (some reaching 80,000 people from a population of 200,000 - equivalent to > about 24 million in Britain or about 120 million in the US), the Turkish > army's friends the Grey Wolves' murders of Turkish Cypriot dissidents and > the army's own recent blacklisting of insufficiently cooperative Turkish > Cypriot media (including the northern Cypriot administration's own radio and > television organisation) show, however, the Turkish Cypriot community is not > the one responsible for the occupation. > > On 20/06/07, Umberto Albarella <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > > Thank you Geoff for this interesting document. It is of course a matter > > of > > opinion whether an academic boycott of Israeli university should be > > supported > > or not, but to accuse its promoters of antisemitism is as ridiculous as > > it is > > unsurprising. It is an old trick of many power structures to claim that > > if you > > are against their views you are also against their people - in other > > words, you > > are branded to be enemy of the nation, or, worse, a racist. This > > strategy has > > recently also been widely used (and not just by Americans) towards > > anybody > > criticising the actions of the present American government. The British > > prime > > minister regularly brands as 'antiamerican' any activity which is > > opposed to > > the actions of Bush's government. > > > > There is an even darker side of this strategy. Antisemitism is not a > > figment of > > the imagination, but a real, disturbing phenomenon, with its own long > > history > > and it own sad present. To regard as antisemitic any criticism of the > > Israeli > > government means also to divert the attention away from the real racial > > abuses > > and discriminations. Whether this is deliberate or not is a question on > > which I > > will not elaborate further here, but let me just say that it disturbs me > > to > > realise that at the fore front of the 'friends of Israel' pact there are > > often > > political groups which can trace their own origins in antisemitic and > > generally > > racist views. > > > > The issue of the Israeli academic boycott is very relevant to > > archaeology, > > partly for historical reasons (the parallel with the southafrican > > boycott, as > > Reuben mentioned, obviously comes to mind) but also because Israel is a > > country > > which is archaeologically both very rich and very active. Many > > archaeological > > international missions indeed operate in Israel. I have my own doubts > > about the > > boycott, which perhaps there will the opportunity to discuss in the > > future on > > this list, but, in view of the Israeli illegal occupation of the > > Palestinian > > territories, I certainly would not work in Israel. For the same reasons > > I would > > not work in northern Cyprus or Iraq, two other illegally occupied > > countries. By > > restricting my own freedom at least nobody can accuse me of restricting > > that of > > others. > > > > Cheers, > > Umberto > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Umberto Albarella > > Department of Archaeology > > University of Sheffield > > Northgate House > > West Street > > Sheffield S1 4ET > > United Kingdom > > Telephone: (+) 44 (0) 114 22 22 943 > > Fax: (+) 44 (0) 114 27 22 563 > > http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/albarella.html > > For Archaeologists for Global Justice (AGJ) see: > > http://www.shef.ac.uk/archaeology/global-justice.html > > > > "There is no way to peace. Peace IS the way". > > > > > > Quoting geoff carver <[log in to unmask]>: > > > > > statements from the heads of a few american universities: > > > > > http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/universities-condemn-professors-israel-boycott/ > > > > > > > > -- > - - - > > 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 > -- - - - 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