Black-and-white photo of a man standing in front of a large group of students for an outdoor class at a desert checkpoint in the West Bank.

The Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel as a Defense of Academic Freedom

BY ANTHONY ALESSANDRINI  The AAUP’s new “Statement on Academic Boycotts,” which reverses its prior opposition to academic boycotts, is a major declaration. Stating clearly that boycotts “can be considered legitimate tactical responses to conditions that are fundamentally incompatible with the mission of higher education,” it confirms there are instances in which upholding academic freedom may…

Screenshot of the web page for the University of Minnesota Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies shows mural with gray-toned silhouettes of several individuals of various ages

Academic Freedom and the Raz Segal Affair at Minnesota

BY NATHANIEL MILLS Joe Lockard’s August 8 Academe Blog post criticizes, with multiple errors and missing contexts, a statement of the executive committee of the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities AAUP chapter. The chapter’s statement protests the role played by nonacademic groups in the UMN administration’s recent decision to block the hire of Raz Segal as…

Screenshot of the home page of the website AFT4Palestine.org shows several Palestinian boys sitting on a pile of rubble next to two Palestinian flags

The Obligation to Sell the AFT’s Israel Bond

BY DANIEL A. SEGAL Several AFT locals—including Local 6741, which represents all AAUP members in advocacy chapters—have put forward resolutions for consideration at next week’s AFT convention in support of divestment by the AFT of its Israeli state bond holding. Calls for divestment typically face questions about the opacity and complexity of particular financial instruments.…

A white cement-block wall with a dark shadow around it shows the word "genocide" painted in black stenciled letters.

Gaza, Genocide, and Academic Freedom

BY DAVID MOSHMAN Discussions about campus matters related to Gaza, including posts on this blog, have focused on free speech issues associated with campus protests. Let me shift the focus. Universities should indeed support freedom of speech, but their primary function is to seek and communicate the truth, including the truth about Gaza, and their…