Dear Marijke Breuning, ISA President 2024-2025, Laura J. Shepherd, ISA Past-President, Siba N'Zatioula Grovogui, ISA President-Elect and Mark A. Boyer, ISA Executive Director,
We are writing this letter as members of ISA who are concerned about the way in which the organization has responded to calls from its members to address the ongoing genocide taking place in Gaza. We are concerned that the ISA executive's response to actions and communications regarding this issue before, during and after the ISA 2024 Convention in San Francisco have not be addressed in a constructive manner.
We were deeply disappointed to read your email sent to ISA members on 15 April. It included high levels of defensiveness and phrasing that was experienced by many members as tone policing. Despite statements claiming that ‘protest’ is cherished at and by ISA, the tone and words of the email do not support this message. Instead, it invoked loaded and conflictual language (e.g. ‘misinformation’, ‘ad hominem attack(s)’ and ‘probably in violation of ISA rules’, as well as calls for ‘civil discussion' - the latter term holding particular negative significance for those affected by colonialism). This was not only alienating to many of us, but also gave the impression that only certain ways of doing politics are welcome at ISA.
The Context
We would like to unequivocally state our belief that, as an international studies organization, it is the duty of ISA to respond appropriately, transparently and proportionately to matters of deep international political, ethical, legal and other import.
The ongoing violence against the people of Gaza most certainly fits into this category. For instance, the March 25, 2024 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territory concluded that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating Israel's commission of genocide is met".
What's more, as a professional organization of academics, we have a duty to stand in support of colleagues affected by scholasticide, threats to academic freedom and to educational access. As of April 2024, the Israeli military has destroyed or damaged all 12 universities in Gaza, alongside 75% of Gaza's entire educational infrastructure. It has also engaged in direct attacks on Palestinian students and staff, which has as of March 8, 2024, resulted in the killing of 3 university presidents and over 100 university deans and professors. Palestinian Higher Education institutions have formally called upon their international counterparts to take action in their support and defence.
It is also important to note that the International Court of Justice's finding of plausible risk of genocide engages the legal obligations of third parties such as national governments as well as educational institutions including but not limited to universities to (1) ensure that their current actions, programs, and investments are not complicit in violations of the Genocide Convention, and (2) ensure that they take all reasonable measures within its institutional power to prevent violations of the Genocide Convention.
For all of these reasons and more, we believe that ISA is an appropriate venue in which to foster discussion and action in relation to the above-described violence.
What's more, we believe that, as members of a professional organization of scholars, it isour duty to take active roles in addressing such issues, and challenging our institutions and/or their governance structures when these put us in conflict with our shared values and/or ethical obligations.
We also affirm that it is well within the spirit of academic and political contestation to call on organizations and/or the holders of leadership roles within them – including in public forums – to act in accordance with the principles, ethics and political commitments they espouse and those of the community they represent.
Our recommendations
With all of this in mind, we call upon the ISA executive to consider actions including but not limited to:
PROACTIVELY OPEN AND/OR RE-OPEN discussion of actions that can be taken by ISA in relation to the ongoing violence in Gaza.
ACKNOWLEDGE that, for many of our members, including but not limited to those who have taken action within the context of ISA meetings, sections, caucuses, etc, these issues are not merely academic or abstract. They are literally issues of life, death and collective existence, and they constitute collective action against collective violence. Also acknowledge that the violence in Gaza directly and/or indirectly effects many of our members, their families and our scholarly community as a whole.
RECOGNIZE that in situations of extreme urgency and severity, such as moments of unfolding genocide, the rules and regulations of professional organizations may need to be reviewed or modified, and/or that members of an organization may need to challenge those rules if they impede and/or violate ethical and professional obligations (as outlined above).
ACTIVELY SEEK and take seriously the calls to action of your members. Hold town meetings, listening sessions or other events to actively seek and listen to members’ views. Seek members' views through democratic tools such as surveys or plebiscites (even if this is not formally required by the rules or bylaws of the organization). Provide and participate in venues for discussion of issues of extreme urgency and importance, and/or respond positively to members' calls for such venues.
PROACTIVELY SHARE INFORMATION with your membership about ongoing discussions on issues of urgency and prominence. Stay in regular and meaningful contact with those asking for action on your part (this can help to avoid concerns regarding perceived 'misinformation').
ACKNOWLEDGE the validity of multiple forms of political action. Honour and practice the ISA 2024 conference theme of ‘relationality’ by embracing - not reprimanding - diverse forms of nonviolent political action.
REFUSE to use terminology that may alienate and/or harm your members, including but not limited to ‘civil’, ‘attack’ and ‘misinformation’. Recognize that such terms are not politically neutral, and that they may impact especially negatively upon racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, disabled and other marginalized members of the ISA community.
AS LEADERS, resist the urge to take things personally. Recognize that political actions in a context of such urgency and severity, including those that publicly call upon specific leaders, are not personal 'attacks' on individuals. On the contrary, it is appropriate for members of an organization to hold to account those who hold executive positions in that organization, and who are actively exercising their duties as such. These are not ‘ad hominem attacks’ – in fact, they are the exact opposite. Such acts and interpellations are also important aspects of democratic engagement within a member-based organization. Also consider that people or groups calling upon you may be doing so because they feel hopeful that you might support them – NOT in order to attack or undermine you as (an) individual(s).
CONSIDER power differentials and dynamics in every interaction with the members of the organization you lead, and groups thereof. Proactively take responsibility for the negative effects that your actions, inactions and statements may have on diverse members of your community.
THE LETTER of April 15, 2024 (see above) expresses consternation that members of the executive team may have been referred to as being 'complicit in genocide'. Recognize that, as people in positions of privilege and power (on a global scale), and/or as people holding academic positions, many if not most of us are complicit in multiple forms of violence, in various ways and degrees. This includes but is not limited to genocides and ongoing settler colonial violence carried out by the governments who (partially) fund our universities, the financial investments of our universities and more. It is our ethical duty to stand accountable to this complicity. It is not ‘unacceptable’ to be reminded of this, especially by people who are directly impacted by it.
RECALL that, in a climate in which even tenured professors are being disciplined and/or facing loss of livelihood for speaking out against the ongoing genocide, for early-career and/or marginalized scholars to do so is exceptionally risky and courageous. Indeed, it may have cascading effects across their lives and careers. These colleagues should be celebrated and supported, not reprimanded, for doing what they believe is right in the venues available to them, including the professional organizations to which they contribute so much.
It is incumbent upon the ISA executive to address these issues in an open, timely, responsible and proactive manner.
The world is watching how we, as an international community of scholars, respond to the key issues of our time. How we act - and how we treat each other - as a community matters.
Sincerely,
The undersigned
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for your support for this letter! We have now gathered more than 100 signatures.
Please be sure to check if your name has appeared on the list of 'verified' signees. If not, please take a moment to check your email (including junk mail) for a message asking you to verify. If you have not received one, please try signing again with a different email address (it is possible that the app has trouble with some institutional/university email addresses).
This will help us to make sure that we have as many names as possible reflected before submitting this letter formally to the ISA executive.
Many thanks and solidarity,
Audra
Dear Colleagues,
Thank you once again for your support of our open letter. It has now been forwarded to the executive committee.
However, the letter remains open for new signatures if you know of any other colleagues who might wish to sign.
Please also be sure that your name has been 'verified', or, if it has not, try signing from a different email address.
Sending solidarity to all of you, your students, colleagues and loved ones.