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

The “Palestine exception to academic freedom” reached new heights with Israel’s genocidal response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The world witnessed the failure of university administrations in protecting political dissent when discussions on Israel’s apartheid policies became policed and silenced in the name of fighting antisemitism. More alarmingly, expressions of solidarity with Palestinians and attempts to historicize the conflict have been smeared with accusations of terrorism. Students getting suspended for peaceful protests, professors being barred from teaching for social media posts, and alumni and donors intimidating university administrations became instances when academics’ freedom to contribute to open and robust discussion of controversial issues in the academy and beyond were significantly compromised.

This panel invites interventions employing historical, comparative and theoretical perspectives on the questions of academic freedom, free speech on campus, and movements for justice in/for Palestine. Topics include but are not limited to:

• The meaning of public sociology in the context of the study of Palestinian dispossession and the Israel/Palestine conflict in its historical context,
• Possible strategies for the facilitation of intellectual inquiry on the “Palestine Question”,
• Issues of balancing free speech and campus safety
• Worldwide campus solidarity protests in Spring 2024
• The impact of academic boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns on the Palestine/Israel conflict,
• The role of private funding in shaping research and teaching agendas on the Palestine/Israel conflict

This session is collaboratively proposed by RC44 (Labour Movements), RC47 (Social Classes and Social Movements), and RC48 (Social Movements, Collective Actions, and Social Change).