糖心传媒

We write this piece as a group of education researchers working in the fields of international education and development, including with respect to conflict studies, forced migration and comparative studies, witnessing the in Palestine. At the time of writing, between 7 October and 13 December 2023, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),. As the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres,: 鈥淕aza is becoming a graveyard for children.鈥�

This has developed after the on 7^th of October following Hamas鈥檚 attacks, and against the backdrop of the violent occupation of Palestine with the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.Based on current information, out of 17 higher education institutions and have been destroyed or partially destroyed in Gaza, affecting the infrastructure intended for securing educational and cultural futures for Palestinians. Over203 teachers have been killed by Israeli forces. In addition, UNRWA has reported that have been killed.

As academics, we see it as our responsibility to educate and advocate for justice. According to Angela Davis, this crisis is鈥�. This recognises that while the intensity of humanitarian catastrophe and injustice escalated recently, it began 75 years ago with the occupation of Palestine. Yet, many networks and professional associations serving our communities have failed to engage with this history of injustice and the current humanitarian crisis faced by Palestinian people, whether through public statements, organised academic dialogue, and/or engaging in solidarity actions with other groups and actors including teachers and civil society organisaitons. This lack of explicit engagement, despite the clear political urgency of the situation, amounts to an active and deafening silence.

Implications of academic and scholarly silence and inaction

The silence or inaction of professional associations is striking in a context where the heads of 18 UN agencies and non-governmental organisations 鈥� often partners for research in our field 鈥� have released a calling for an urgent ceasefire and for all parties to respect their 鈥渙bligations under international humanitarian and human rights law鈥�, including to protect civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools. Yet, our community 鈥� which advocates for social justice, equity and decolonisation鈥� has failed to use this collective expertise to sufficiently engage with and educate each other, as well as with policymakers and institutions, to make a difference to the lived reality of the marginalised and oppressed.

What does this silence and inaction mean for our field and how does it reveal a fundamental disregard for the education and lives of women, children, young people, refugees and displaced populations who are on the frontlines?  These are the very people who are supposed to be at the centre of our professional existence. We reflect on how this silence is often justified through an unproductive notion of ‘hierarchies of injustice’, the false idea that speaking up for one oppressed group implies the dismissal of others’ oppression. We urge the international education community of researchers, educators and practitioners to recognise the interconnectedness of injustice.

In doing so, it is crucial to remember, as Martin Luther King, Jr. astutely , 鈥淚njustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.鈥� This principle of interconnectedness should form the basis of ethical solidarity and committed scholarship.

Recommendations for international academic solidarity

Since our freedom is so intertwined with that of others, we call on our networks to foster new forms of international solidarity with the following recommendations in mind:

First, professional associations must protect academic freedom and freedom of speech as a collective right. We note with concern how legitimate, evidence-informed scholarship which critiques the occupation, the killing of civilians (including scholars and students), and the destruction of educational infrastructure has been met with a barrage . In some cases, it has even resulted in the suspension and dismissal of academics from employment, as highlighted. highlights the reality of the threats to those speaking out against the unfolding genocide. Concrete steps for action to redress these developments include:

• Establishing academic freedom committees within networks to safeguard and protect academic freedom and freedom of speech. These committees should support scholars facing harassment or intimidation due to their critical perspectives.

Second, knowledge and understanding thrive and are nurtured in and through professional associations that can promote and create conducive and safe spaces for engaging in challenging and complex dialogues. We believe that such debate should be at the heart of the upcoming Comparative International Education Society (CIES) conference on the theme of 鈥樷��, which has been identified in recognition of 鈥榯he fact that education is, by definition, a public act鈥�. However, this is not evident from any statement thus far issued by CIES. More just dialogue within professional associations can be engendered by:

• Initiating a process of critical self-reflection and unlearning regarding the    role and obligations of networks, especially those networks whose research is concerned with both human rights and the Global South. This reflection process should emphasise networks鈥� responsibilities toward the communities they collaborate with.   

Thirdly, no 鈥榟ierarchy of injustice鈥� exists. Where professional associations claim neutrality and impartiality as principles for non-engagement on this issue, it can be construed as abdicating responsibility for justice. The old adage of who will speak out for the academic community and scholarship when all voices are silenced reminds us of Desmond Tutu鈥檚 statement: 鈥渋f you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor鈥�. As such, academic associations and institutions should be:

• Engaging with conflicts in various parts of the world in historicised, politicised and contextually nuanced ways, without erasing the language of critique produced by historically marginalised and violated populations.  
• Addressing the silencing of academics who might face cancellation or punitive actions, particularly emerging scholars from marginalised and underrepresented groups, scholars of colour and scholars who themselves are directly affected.

Fourth, professional associations whose membership includes scholars, practitioners and funders associated with conflict studies carry an ethical responsibility to speak out against injustice in different ways, and to act in solidarity with communities facing conflict and oppression. Remaining silent whilst benefiting from grants and research is unjustifiable as a form of engagement. This reflects an extractive model of knowledge production, reminiscent of the colonisation these networks are striving to confront. Going forward, these injustices can be remedied in part by:

• Addressing power imbalances within international organisations, particularly the dominance of entities from the Global North, and ensuring redistribution, reparations, epistemic justice, critical 鈥楽outhern-led鈥� approaches and learning and unlearning from critical voices of Global South scholars in these networks.
• Rethinking and redefining research ethics codes to embody the principles of ethical and committed scholarship, extending to protecting and respecting the well-being of marginalised communities.

Fifth and finally, the very least we can all ask for is a permanent ceasefire.

We urge the chairs, trustees and executive committees of our professional communities to circulate these recommendations among their members, formally consider these recommendations, and to take action. Where their professional associations remain silent and fail to take action, we call on members of their committees to consider their positions.

We hope that this blog will encourage further reflection, debate and actions. Through this process, we hope we can stand in ethical solidarity with those who are central to our professional careers in times of genocide(s). By doing so, we echo calls from colleagues at:

鈥淏irzeit University calls upon the international academic community, unions, and students to fulfill their intellectual and academic duty of seeking truth, maintaining a critical distance from state-sponsored propaganda, and to hold the perpetrators of genocide and those complicit with them accountable.鈥�

Written by Laila Kadiwal, Mario Novelli, Pauline Rose, Jee Rubin, Yusuf Sayed, Maha Shuayb and Arathi Sriprakash.