In 2022, the Middle East Studies Association passed a resolution endorsing a nonbinding boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Just this year, the American Anthropological Association voted to endorse an academic boycott of Israel after voting down a similar resolution in 2016.

The accelerating adoption of academic boycotts of Israel is just one manifestation of growing support for Palestinians and intensifying efforts to hold Israel accountable for colonization, occupation, and apartheid. However, academic boycotts remain one of the most controversial pillars of the wider boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. According to a recent study, while 91% of Middle East scholars support at least some boycott of Israel, more than a third are hesitant to get behind a boycott of Israel’s academic institutions.

In our upcoming policy lab, Sami Hermez and Dina Omar join host Tariq Kenney-Shawa to discuss the ethics of academic boycotts and explore the critical role they play in wider efforts to hold Israel accountable.

Sami Hermez is director of the Liberal Arts Program and Associate Professor in residence of anthropology at Northwestern University in Qatar. He obtained his doctorate degree from the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University. He is the author of War is Coming: Between Past and Future Violence in Lebanon (UPenn 2017) and My Brother, My Land: A Story from Palestine (Stanford 2024).

Dina Omar is a doctoral candidate in Anthropology at Yale University with joint certification in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the founder and co-owner of the Palestinian Soap Cooperative and studied and taught with June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley (2006-2010). Dina was formally an organizer with the Palestine Youth Movement and a founding member of National Students for Justice in Palestine. 

Tariq Kenney-Shawa is Al-Shabaka's US Policy Fellow. He holds a Masters degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelors degree in Political Science and Middle East Studies from Rutgers University. Tariq's research has focused on a range of topics, from the role of narrative in both perpetuating and resisting occupation to analysis of Palestinian liberation strategies.

About the Policy Lab Program: Al-Shabaka's Policy Lab Program is an online live-stream space where audiences can engage directly with expert analysts from our nearly 200-member network as they craft policies and strategies related to Palestine. The labs are free and open for public participation, inviting viewers to join in on policy discussions.

Note: This discussion will take place in English. Our policy labs are supported through the generosity of donors. They are free to attend, though we accept contributions on a sliding scale upon registration to help sustain the program.

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The Case for Academic Boycotts of Israel