During the spring 2024 encampments, there was a national discussion of divestment from Israel—the “D” in BDS—because divestment was the central demand of the anti-genocide protesters. However, there was comparatively little discussion of boycott, the “B.” And whereas those who oppose divestment tend to appeal to the principle of institutional neutrality, those who oppose boycott more often reach for that of academic freedom.
For defenders of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement within the academy, boycott may be the harder case. Harder, because although defenders of BDS may be hostile, indifferent, or only weakly attached to the principle of institutional neutrality, most will want to defend academic freedom, and because there is at least the appearance of a tension between defending academic freedom and supporting a boycott of academic institutions. Although the event is prompted by the call to boycott Israeli academic institutions, it need not be limited to that particular case.
Please join us for a conversation on academic freedom and academic boycott with Veena Dubal, Genevieve Lakier, and Na’ama Rokem, moderated by 3CT fellow Anton Ford.