American Studies Association leadership recommends academic boycott of Israel
Will they now boycott universities in Islamic countries that discriminate against Jews and Christians, women, and gays?
While you were sleeping the past generation, anti-Israel radicals took over much of academia. They now run groups like the Association for Asian American Studies, which was the first academic group in the U.S. to approve a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.
Now the American Studies Association National Council, the leadership of the organization, has endorsed the boycott and is putting the vote to the membership before putting the boycott into effect.
The ASA’s terms of boycott purport to exclude boycott of individual Israeli scholars and is limited to the ASA’s official business only.
As reported by JTA (h/t commenter WTell):
The American Studies Association leadership endorsed a boycott of Israeli universities, but also sought the approval of the body’s 5,000 members.
The decision posted Wednesday follows a contentious debate at the group’s annual meeting last month and 10 days of deliberations that were supposed to last a morning. The boycott resolution was approved unanimously by the 20-member national council.
“We believe that the ASA’s endorsement of a boycott is warranted given U.S. military and other support for Israel; Israel’s violation of international law and UN resolutions; the documented impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian scholars and students; the extent to which Israeli institutions of higher education are a party to state policies that violate human rights; and the support of such a resolution by many members of the ASA,” the council announcement said.
“The ASA is a large organization that represents divergent opinions,” the announcement said. “Anticipating strong and potentially divided feelings on this question, the Council unanimously decided to ask ASA members to endorse the resolution by a vote.”
Voting will be conducted electronically. If a majority of the association’s voting members do not vote to endorse the boycott resolution by December 15, the national council said that it will withdraw the resolution and determine next steps.
These groups, of course, do not boycott Islamic countries which discriminate against Jews and Christians, which shut out or severely limit educational opportunities for women, or which persecute gays. Only the Jewish-run universities, which are far, far more tolerant of minorities and afford much more equal treatment and educational opportunities, are singled out.
To call them hypocrites is far too mild.
Here is the shameful list of members of The ASA National Council who recommend the boycott:
Jennifer Devere Brody, Stanford University
Ann Cvetkovich, University of Texas, Austin
Jeremy Dean. University of Texas, Austin
Lisa Duggan, New York University
Avery Gordon, University of California, Santa Barbara
Matthew Frye Jacobson, Yale University
E. Patrick Johnson, Northwestern University
J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Wesleyan University
Marisol LeBrón, New York University
Karen Leong, Arizona State University
Sunaina Maira, University of California, Davis
Martin F. Manalansan IV, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Curtis Marez, University of California, San Diego
Roya Rastegar, Bryn Mawr College
Chandan Reddy, University of Washington, Seattle
Juana María Rodríguez, University of California, Berkeley
María Josefina Saldaña-Portillo, New York University
Nikhil Pal Singh, New York University
Supporters of Israel and of academic freedom need to rethink the means by which the academic boycott of Israel is fought. Asking for equal treatment of Israeli institutions no longer is enough.
The foxes not only are guarding the hen house, they are inside and in control.
Added: The ASA appears to have set up its Facebook page just yesterday, and most of the entries are about the boycott.
Related Post: Maybe it’s time to reconsider the tax-exempt status of academic boycotters
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Comments
To me, this is antisemitism but too many are beyond the ability to see, prey to the indoctrination and manipulation they suffer by the activists among them, whose intent is not so innocent.
They actually believe that Palestinians are more persecuted by Jews than by Arabs, and that it is the worst persecution on the planet. This is the extent of their ignorance, and the abuse of power.
Why don’t these activists have the courage to say what most everyone knows, that they want Israel not to exist, rather than act to deceive people over their intent. The path they bravely clamor, cloistered far from the danger, leads to destruction. Ironically, even for them!
“Why don’t these activists have the courage to say what most everyone knows, that they want Israel not to exist, rather than act to deceive people over their intent.”
For the same reason “gun control” activists pretend they want “common-sense, reasonable” laws that promote “gun safety” and endlessly assure us “no one is coming to take your guns,” when what they really want IS a complete ban and full confiscation and destruction of all privately owned firearms.
If they asked for that all at once, they’d lose all support from middle-of-the-road and low-information supporters. So they take it gradually, baby-step by baby-step. And more importantly, they mislead, tell half-truths, and obfuscate their real intentions so that their goals sound reasonable to people who don’t pay too close attention. (Read: They lie about it.)
The BDS movement will say that Israel is violating dozens of U.N. resolutions against it. What they won’t say is that those resolutions are designed to prevent Israel from defending herself from violent, radical opposition, which she faces on a daily basis. They also neglect to mention that Israel’s enemies have vast numbers and resources, and no such resolutions levied against them. It’s analogous to a cat defending itself from a pack of wolves, and the U.N.’s “solution” is to de-claw the cat.
The BDS movement’s leaders know all this, of course, but if their supporters knew it, the movement would rapidly fizzle out from a lack of support. They have to lie to keep their support, which should tell you all you need to know about the morality of their cause.
It’s not Israel they want not to exist, it’s Jews. They just don’t have the guts to kill them but will sit by privately applauding the actions of cowards that slit babies’ throats in their cribs.
I agree with this boycott and will continue to support it until Israel modernizes and joins the 14th century and starts stoning adulteresses and beheading homosexuals.
Diversity!
Multiculturalism!
Tolerance!
When can I expect them to announce their support to reopen the Camps?
Professor, the text of your post is interesting, though similar positions and statements from academia are as common as manure in a pig sty. The best part is the naming names and institutions. Please continue to call out both publicly.
Why would they? They don’t care about Jews and Christians, women, and gays. They only care about creating leverage to manipulate or control Israel. Why is Israel so important to their interests?
>>”Will they now boycott universities in Islamic countries that discriminate against Jews and Christians, women, and gays?”
We need a campaign to ask them this over and over again. Make them answer it. If they won’t, make them hear the question, endlessly.
You need to begin the campaign. Come back in a week and let us know how you’re coming along.
A random sampling of 7 of these bozos reveals 6 profs of various gender studies and one “czar at rap genius” whatever that is. The inmates are running the asylum.
The coming higher education implosion cannot happen fast enough.
I will join this boycott. The boycott of not giving my alma mater one more dime. I already stopped giving as mine has been slurping up tax dollars for glo-bull warming for years.
My grad degree is from NYU. Four of the 20 are associated with NYU.
I stopped donating to it several years ago. But there are tons of rich NYU grads – including many jews – supporting this anti-Semitic hate.
As noted by another commenter above, many of the 20 who are listed “teach” courses with “Studies” in the name. And any course with “Studies” in its name is not knowledge. It is neo-communist, radical egalitarian claptrap. It is political indoctrination disguised as higher education. The goal is to poison young minds against Anglo-sphere, Judeo-Christian traditions. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say they are revolutionaries and enemies of the existing social order.
“…the documented impact of the Israeli occupation on Palestinian scholars and students;…”
Let me guess: It’s not good. Palestinian hatred, bigotry and intolerance are not being exercised to the extent hoped for. And, when it is, it is not effective in ridding the world of the Israeli.
“The ASA is a large organization that represents divergent opinions,” – otherwise known as hate-speak for “we will decide if you will be embraced or excluded.”
The “divergent” part of the above statement means that the members have chosen a path of hatred, a path that is in the opposite direction from the path a Christian would take.
I’ve posted this before, but I believe it is worth repeating; the contributions of Jewish people to the betterment of society cannot be denied; one only needs to look at Nobel prizes in medicine and science to see how overachieving their culture is. Contrast that with other factions that have far fewer contributions to survival of our species, despite a considerable population advantage and millennia of opportunities. The ASA National Council is on the wrong side of history.
Agreed, but you’re forgetting: these are radical socialists we’re talking about.
*puts on radical socialist hat*
Medicine and science are hard. Overachieving flaunts your talents over those of your fellow man, and is therefore evil.
Not assimilating into the rich culture around you implies that you think you’re better than them, which is both selfish and evil.
They want your homeland? Who are you to deny them, when you have so much and they have so little? How can you be so selfish? You should be more giving of yourself to your fellow man.
*removes hat with a shudder*
That’s about as long as I can handle being in that mindset. I need a shower now.
[…] American Studies Association (ASA) has endorsed a proposal to boycott Israel universities while excluding a boycott of individual Israeli academics. How that would work out in practice is […]