5-6:30 PM
132 Goldwin Smith Hall
Presenters:
Shibley Telhami (University of Maryland) and Marc Lynch (George Washington University) will give a joint talk titled “Academic Freedom and Middle East Scholars after October 7” as part of Cornell University’s Freedom of Expression theme this year.
Description: American college campuses have been at the center of charged political disputes in the weeks since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, and the subsequent attacks by Israel on Gaza. These heated debates have focused on the pressures on university presidents to take a stand, the behavior of student groups, allegations of antisemitism, and the censorship of pro-Palestinian speech. But less attention has been paid to one group directly affected by the controversies: the scholars who work on and teach about the Middle East, who often concentrate professionally on issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Presenting findings from opinion polling among scholars before and after the war started, carried out by the Middle East Scholars Barometer, Marc Lynch and Shibley Telhami will discuss the results and the ramifications.
This event is sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies with generous support from the College of Arts & Sciences, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Comparative Muslim Societies Program, Critical Ottoman & Post Ottoman Studies, Religious Studies Program, Jewish Studies Program. Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures, Department of Government and Society for the Humanities.