EISA statement on academic freedom and Palestine

As an academic association representing scholars of international relations the EISA wishes to express its growing concern with the repeated and flagrant attacks on the academic freedom of scholars working on issues related to Palestine-Israel, the ongoing violence across Palestine, and questions of genocide. These are all issues of scholarly concern to many of our members and close affiliates and as such the EISA strongly supports their right to engage in research on these and all issues free from the threat of sanction, be it by academic institutions or state authorities.

We are alarmed by the worrying developments in some countries that seek to conflate scholarship on Palestine with antisemitism resulting in the rescinding of academic invitations, attempts to limit the contents and contours of academic work, and an overall shrinking of academic freedom. We note with particular alarm the ways such attacks on academic freedom disproportionately, although not exclusively as some recent high profile cases show, target more precarious scholars, scholars of colour, and in particular Palestinian, Arab, and Jewish scholars.

EISA stands in solidarity with all those impacted everywhere by these chilling curtailments of academic freedom and pledges to uphold the academic freedom of all its members at EISA organised events.

EISA Governing Board 

info@eisa-net.org