Academic Boycotts?

Our panel will discuss the case for – and against – academic boycotts, starting from the politics of boycotts more generally, as an instrument of change – or just another way of keeping our hands (as in, our conscience) clean? What happens when we apply these arguments to the rarefied world of academia? Should we boycott Israeli universities? Or just Russian ones? And what about US institutions? When do we act in solidarity, with whom and why? What can we learn from past academic boycotts? And does it even make sense to talk about academic boycotts before having established what universities are for? Or is this just pointless philosophizing, in the face of endemic structural injustices? Should we rather question our own academic freedom, first?

Come and join this difficult discussion affecting our whole community.

Our panelists:

Ana Antic (KU, Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies)

Michelle Pace (RUC, Department of Social Sciences and Business)

Jaime Caballer Revenga (AU, Department of Biology)

Olivia Spalletta (KU, Department of Science Education)

Fernando Racimo (KU, Globe Institute)

Lea Skovgaard & Ezio Di Nucci (chair)

No need to register, but we “only” have 180 seats, so do let us know should you plan to bring many friends. And it’s an open panel, which means that – within reason – if you want a spot on it, all you need to do is ask (ezio@sund.ku.dk).