Academic boycotts threaten academic freedom: WATCH
In August, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) reversed its longstanding opposition to 'academic boycotts.'
The association's reversal betrays its traditional commitment to the free exchange of ideas between academics, says Campus Reform Higher Education Fellow Ken Tashjy.
Campus Reform Higher Education Fellow Ken Tashjy joined The National Desk to discuss how academic boycotts undermine academic freedom.
In August, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) reversed its longstanding opposition to “academic boycotts.” This amounts to a betrayal of the association’s traditional values, Tashjy charges.
”The AAUP has been considered the primary defender of academic freedom in higher education for over 100 years -- and during that time it has been committed to preserving and advancing the free exchange of ideas between academics across town or across international borders, without regard for governmental policies,” Tashjy said on The National Desk.
The association’s sudden reversal on the issue of academic boycotts followed a year of anti-Israel protests on campuses nationwide that often included calls to “divest” from the Jewish state.
”I think this is a shift away from the AAUP’s historic principled stance against academic boycotts and embracing of an ideology that is driven by an anti-Israel sentiment,” Tashjy said.