How can we work together to push our institutions to take a solid stance against Israel’s occupation? Masahat invites to a talk and panel discussion of Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) as a tool of resistance in arts and academia.

The BDS movement has lately gained momentum worldwide but has also faced harsh backlash. Cultural and academic institutions serve as a backbone of Israel’s strategy of normalizing occupation. By partnering with and maintaining relationships with these institutions, Western organizations and donors become complicit in the continuous injustices committed against the Palestinian people by the Israeli state.

10:00-10:15 Serving of light breakfast

10:15-10:45 Talk by Layal Ftouni

10:45-11:30 Panel discussion and Q&A

11:30-12:00 Informal discussion and mingling

In her talk, Dr. Layal Ftouni (Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and Critical Theory, Utrecht University) will discuss the question of Palestine as the limit case of academic freedom and the struggle for justice that academic institutions claim to defend. Drawing on her extensive experience in BDS activism in the Netherlands and other academic contexts, Ftouni will address the significance of boycott and divestment as strategies of resistance, and in the context of debates on academic freedom, decolonization, and neoliberalism. Moreover, she will reflect on the legacies of the BDS movement drawing parallels to the South African boycott movement.

Following the talk, a panel of invited academics and cultural workers who have been actively involved in pushing their institutions to take a stance against Israel to reflect on their experiences and the way forward.

Dr. Layal Ftouni (Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and Critical Theory, Utrecht University)

The panel: Ayman Alazraq (filmmaker, photographer, and mixed-media artist), Jassem el Hindi (Artist and choreographer)and Hege Hermansen (Professor of Education, Oslo Metropolitan University).

Moderators: Nora Milch (PhD researcher, University of Oslo) and Sarah Kazmi (Interdisciplinary artist and writer).