Big news out of Seattle this weekend. At the Annual Conference of the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) members voted for a resolution endorsed by 800 academics in support of boycotting Israeli academic institutions in solidarity with the world-wide movement responding to the call from Palestinian civil society.

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) reports “AAAS is the FIRST academic organization in the U.S. to boycott Israeli institutions.”

The resolution that passed:

Association for Asian American Studies Annual Conference April 2013 Resolution Proposed: Support Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions

The Association for Asian American Studies isan organization dedicated to the preservationand support of academic freedom and of theright to education for students and scholars inthe U.S. and globally. This year’s conferencetheme, “The Afterlife of Empire,” demonstratesAAAS commitment to a critique of U.S. empire.We urge the General Membership to vote for theresolution in support of the boycott of IsraeliAcademic Institutions. The call to boycottIsraeli universities is in protest of the illegaloccupation of Palestine, the infringements of theright to education of Palestinian students, and the academic freedom of Palestinian scholars and studentsin the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel. This resolution links AAAS to a world-wide movement behind the call of Palestinian civil society for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

AAAS participation in this boycott is an act of solidarity with Arab (West Asian) and Muslim American communities, students, andscholars who have been subjected to profiling, surveillance, and civil rights violations that havecircumscribed their freedom of political expression, particularly in relation to the issue of human rights inPalestine-Israel.Israeli academic institutions are deeply complicit in Israel’s violations of international law andhuman rights and in its denial of the right to education and academic freedom to Palestinians, in additionto their basic rights as guaranteed by international law. As an organization that supports research andopen discussion about these issues without censorship, intimidation, or harassment, and seeks to promoteacademic exchange, collaboration and opportunities for students and scholars everywhere, AAAS must join in the global movement to protest the rights of students and scholars everywhere to engage inresearch and public speaking about Israel-Palestine.

We urge the general membership to attend the general meeting on Saturday, April 20th, 4:30 p.m.St. Helens, Westin Hotel. Vote to pass this resolution!

Signatories:

Leslie Bow, Lucy Burns, KeithCamacho, Mark Chiang, David Eng, CandaceFujikane, Anna Guevarra, Sora Han, Helen Jun, LauraKang, Jodi Kim, Richard Kim, Kevin Kumashiro,James Lee, Karen Leong, Lisa Lowe, Anita Mannur,Glen Mimura, Susette Min,Gary Okihiro, JunaidRana, Eric Reyes,Robyn Rodriguez, Cathy Schlund-Vials, Malini Johar Schueller, Sarita See, Nikhil PalSingh, Rajini Srikanth, Dorothy Wang

Other academics and/or Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies scholars who have endorsed/and or are involved in the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel(USACBI); this list is a very small subset, as there are 800 endorsers:

Sarika Chandra, Shefali Chandra, Iyko Day, Vicente M.Diaz, Diane Fujino, J. Noelani Goodyear-Ka’opua, Inderpal Grewal, Christine Hong, Adria Imada, Jane Iwamura, J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, Elaine Kim, Sunaina Maira, Yong Soon Min, Chandra Talpade Mohanty,Rupal Oza, Vijay Prashad, Jasbir Puar, R. Radhakrishnan, Chandan Reddy, Roshni Rustomji-Kerns, SetsuShigematsu, Noenoe Silva, Neferti Tadiar.

