5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Starting from October 7, 2023, the historic occupation of Palestine by Israel took a new turn following the terrorist attack by Hamas and the brutal armed response by the State of Israel, supported by other world powers. Seven months later, this has resulted in more than 35,000 deaths, 15,000 of whom are children. This supports the claim that this constitutes the genocide. Protests in various capitals worldwide quickly emerged, calling for a ceasefire and a political resolution. Additionally, there have been calls for multiple states to break diplomatic relations with Israel and for higher education institutions to sever academic and commercial ties; however, none of these demonstrations have exerted enough pressure to stop the attacks.

One manifestation that has changed the course of events is the establishment of student camps in solidarity with Palestine by hundreds of universities, first in the United States and later replicated in other countries such as France, England, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Japan, and Mexico. However, the brutal repression they have faced from university and government authorities reveals that at their core, they are questioning the existing international order regarding the political and economic interests of Israel and its main ally, the United States.

We are interested in understanding the different experiences of these camps. Who are these students and how did they organize? How did they formulate their demands? What were the institutional responses? How did they impact their countries? How did they influence the course of the attacks against the Palestinian people?