Silenced Solidarity: Navigating Student Activism in UAE Universities Amidst Digital Surveillance and Political Constraints

• In Event: Navigating challenges in education: exploring technology, activism and suppression in diverse contexts

Proposal

This paper aims to explore the complex landscape of student activism within universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), particularly in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. The paper will compare the responses of different UAE universities and examine how institutional and governmental policies shape the possibilities and limitations of student activism. Emphasis will be placed on the creative strategies employed by students to navigate these constraints, including the use of technology such as social media and WhatsApp as tools of resistance. As highlighted by Boren (2013) and Woodcock (2013), student activism plays a crucial role in political and social mobilization, which we have seen an upsurge in the past year.

Drawing from preliminary research and my first-hand experience living and working in the UAE, I use informal interviews and student interactions to answer the questions “How do university students in the UAE show support for Palestinians?”, “What government policies are used to limit solidarity efforts on UAE campuses”. Preliminary results highlight the constraints imposed by the UAE government as outlined by Circular No. 2 (UAE Ministry of Education 2023), as well as student responses via social media, alternative methods of solidarity and difficulties faced by university administrators. The discussion will provide critical insights into the broader implications of these dynamics for comparative and international education, offering a platform for voices that are often silenced within their academic communities. Adding to the literature on student activism in solidarity with Palestinians, this paper will broaden the scope and provide insight from the gulf region, which is overlooked by Western media.

Boren, M. E. (2013). Student Resistance: A History of the Unruly Subject. Routledge.

Ministry of Education. (2023). Circular No. 3 of 2023 regarding promoting national identity and peaceful dialogue at higher education institutions. United Arab Emirates.

Woodcock, J. (2013). The National Union of Students and the Left. The Oxford Left Review.

Author

• Abigail Smith, University of Maryland - College Park