Voices for Change: Navigating Global Awareness, Freedom of Expressions, and Student Activism in the Face of School Militarization and Scholasticide

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This session examines the global suppression of free speech and pro-liberation activism at academic institutions, with a specific focus on pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. It explores how mechanisms such as policing, donor influence, and legal constraints are employed to silence faculty and student voices advocating for Palestinian rights. Drawing on examples from universities across the United States, as well as institutions in other parts of the world, the session highlights the shared strategies used to curtail academic freedom. The concept of "scholasticide"—the destruction of academic freedom—serves to underscore the severity of these actions and their long-term implications. This perspective reveals the transnational patterns of repression, emphasizing the need for solidarity among academic communities on a global scale.

Sub Unit

• International Relations Committee

Chair

• Rouhollah Aghasaleh, California State Polytechnic University - Humboldt

Participants

• Stefan Bradley, Amherst College

• Khalid Husny Arar, Texas State University

• Jairo I. Fúnez-Flores, Texas Tech University

• Amy Kapit, New York University

• Sara E. Tolbert, Monash University

• Mahdis Azarmandi, University of Canterbury