An Open Letter on the Anti-Boycott Bills (Updated)

by Henry Farrell and Corey Robin on February 4, 2014

Academics and commentatorsâ€”including Crooked Timber bloggersâ€”disagree over the American Studies Association’s decision to endorse an academic boycott of Israel. There should be far less disagreement over two bills recently proposed in New York’s and Maryland’s state legislatures. These bills prohibit colleges and universities from using state monies to fund faculty membership inâ€”or travel toâ€”academic organizations that boycott the institutions of another country. Designed to punish the ASA for taking the stance it has, these bills threaten the ability of scholars and scholarly associations to say controversial things in public debate. Because they sanction some speech on the basis of the content of that speech, they run afoul of the US First Amendment.

We write as two academics who disagree on the question of the ASA boycott. One of us is a firm supporter of the boycott who believes that, as part of the larger BDS movement, it has put the Israel-Palestine conflict back on the front burner, offering much needed strategic leverage to those who want to see the conflict justly settled. The other is highly skeptical that the ASA boycott is meaningful or effective, and views it as a tactically foolish and entirely symbolic gesture of questionable strategic and moral value.

This disagreement is real, but is not the issue that faces us today. The fundamental question we confront is whether legislatures should punish academic organizations for taking politically unpopular stands. The answer is no. The rights of academics to partake of and participate in public debate are well established. Boycotts are a long recognized and legally protected mode of political speech. The purpose of these bills, as some of their drafters admit, is to prevent organizations like the ASA from engaging in this kind of speech and to punish those organizations if they doâ€”merely because the state disapproves of the content of that speech. For these and other reasons, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the New York Civil Liberties Union have declared their opposition to these bills.

The bills affect both of us directly as taxpayers (one of us lives in New York State, the other in Maryland) and as working academics. But they also potentially have much broader consequences. One hundred and thirty-four members of Congress have signed a letter condemning the ASA, and it is very likely that other state legislatures will take up similar bills, unless there is a public outcry.

We thus write not only to express our joint opposition to these bills but also to invite others who share our opposition to express it by signing below (those who want to debate the underlying questions rather than sign should not do so here, but in this separate discussion post). We encourage you to share this statement with colleagues in your departments and professional associations, to urge them to adopt it or their own statements, and to take the necessary actions to oppose this type of legislation wherever it may arise.

More immediately, we encourage readers who live in New York State or Maryland to contact their state representatives, and if necessary, governors. Contact information for New York can be found here and here; for Maryland, here. While initial reports from New York this afternoon are positiveâ€”due to a flood of phone calls, a key committee chair in the Assembly has temporarily pulled the legislation for reconsiderationâ€”the bill’s backers in the Assembly intend to pursue some version of it. It has already passed the State Senate. Hence the need for continued and consistent pressure in both states.

Update (February 6)

The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that a bill has been introduced into the US House of Representatives that would cut off federal funding to any academic institution that boycotts the State of Israel. Though this bill does not immediately affect the ASA, which relies on no federal funding, it goes significantly beyond the legislation introduced in Maryland and New York. And may well have repercussions for the ASA insofar as it defines an institution’s participation in the boycott to mean, among other things, that “any significant part of the institution” â€”perhaps an academic department that voted with the ASA?â€”is boycotting the State of Israel.

According toÂ The Forward, leaders in the New York State Assembly are retooling the bill and planning on introducing it at some point in the future.

Second Update (February 7)

The bill’s sponsor, Peter Roskam, makes it emphatically clear that the legislation is not intended to prevent academics from engaging on boycotts in general, but instead to punish them for boycotting some states rather than others. From his statement:

bq. It is ludicrous for critics to go after our democratic friend and ally Israel when they should be focusing on the evils perpetrated by repressive, authoritarian regimes like Iran and North Korea.

{ 462 comments }

1 Alex Lubin 02.04.14 at 3:16 am: Alex Lubin, University of New Mexico (ASA Member)
2 Kerim Friedman 02.04.14 at 3:21 am: I support this letter. – Kerim Friedman, Woodstock, NY.
3 Albion Lawrebce 02.04.14 at 3:24 am: Albion Lawrence, Newton, MA.
4 Jonathan Dresner 02.04.14 at 3:25 am: Jonathan Dresner, Pittsburg State University, Kansas.
(Member of American Historical Association, Association of Asian Studies, etc.)
5 David Kaib 02.04.14 at 3:30 am: David Kaib, American University
6 Jeffrey C. Isaac 02.04.14 at 3:34 am: I support this statement.
7 christian_h 02.04.14 at 3:44 am: Christian Haesemeyer, UCLA.
8 Adam Sabra 02.04.14 at 4:03 am: Adam Sabra, UCSB
9 Amy Bass 02.04.14 at 4:05 am: I support this statement.
10 Elizabeth Angell 02.04.14 at 4:07 am: Elizabeth Angell, Columbia
11 D. Eppstein 02.04.14 at 4:11 am: David Eppstein, University of California, Irvine
12 Michael BÃ©rubÃ© 02.04.14 at 4:13 am: Michael BÃ©rubÃ©, Director, Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Pennsylvania State University
13 emfink 02.04.14 at 4:15 am: Eric M. Fink, Elon University, North Carolina
14 Michael Pollak 02.04.14 at 4:18 am: New York, NY
15 Glenn Hendler 02.04.14 at 4:19 am: Glenn Hendler, Chair, English Department, Fordham University.
16 Jason Schulman 02.04.14 at 4:26 am: Jason Schulman, Lehman College, CUNY, Bronx, NY
17 Edward Kazala 02.04.14 at 4:27 am: Just Some Guy, Bay Area, California.
18 Isaac William Martin 02.04.14 at 4:29 am: Isaac William Martin, University of California – San Diego
19 Sabina Sawhney 02.04.14 at 4:30 am: Sabina Sawhney, Hofstra University, Ny
20 David Hobby 02.04.14 at 4:32 am: David Hobby, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
21 Mark 02.04.14 at 4:37 am: Mark Berger, Columbia
22 Zach Schwartz-Weinstein 02.04.14 at 4:44 am: Zach Schwartz-Weinstein, NYU
Albany, NY
23 Marion I. Lipshutz 02.04.14 at 4:46 am: I agree with this open letter.
24 Martha Biondi 02.04.14 at 4:51 am: Northwestern University
25 Ben Alpers 02.04.14 at 5:00 am: Benjamin L. Alpers, University of Oklahoma
26 Stephen Kantrowitz 02.04.14 at 5:13 am: Stephen Kantrowitz, UW-Madison
27 John Quiggin 02.04.14 at 5:15 am: John Quiggin, adjunct, University of Maryland, College Park
28 JW Mason 02.04.14 at 5:25 am: Joshua William Mason, Roosevelt University
29 Patrick S. O'Donnell 02.04.14 at 5:25 am: Patrick S. O’Donnell. adjunct instructor, Santa Barbara City College
30 Cynthia Franklin 02.04.14 at 5:43 am: I support this letter.
Cynthia Franklin
University of Hawai’i
31 Andrew Dilts 02.04.14 at 6:08 am: Andrew Dilts, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Loyola Marymount University
32 Alisa Solomon 02.04.14 at 6:18 am: Alisa Solomon, Professor, Columbia University, NYC
33 James F. Pivonka 02.04.14 at 6:20 am: The letter is correct. I support it, and thank the authors. I oppose the legislation.
Jim Pivonka
34 Kurt Newman 02.04.14 at 6:29 am: Kurt Newman, Ph.D. Candidate, UC Santa Barbara
35 Ryan Daley 02.04.14 at 6:31 am: I support this letter.
Ryan Daley
36 Josh Whitford 02.04.14 at 6:55 am: Josh Whitford, Columbia University
37 Laura Geraghty 02.04.14 at 8:21 am: I support this letter and thank the authors. I oppose the legislation.
38 Leslie Harris 02.04.14 at 9:03 am: I support this letter.
39 William Uspal 02.04.14 at 9:28 am: William Uspal, Postdoctoral Associate, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
40 Andrew Hartman 02.04.14 at 10:33 am: I support this letter. Andrew Hartman, Illinois State University
41 Andrea Morrell 02.04.14 at 10:44 am: I support this letter.
42 Paisley Currah 02.04.14 at 11:12 am: Paisley Currah
43 Barbara Winslow 02.04.14 at 11:39 am: I support the letter and urge everyone to post it widely.
44 Tara Mulqueen 02.04.14 at 11:43 am: I support this statement. CUNY Alumnist; Birkbeck College School of Law.
45 William Burns 02.04.14 at 11:49 am: William Burns, George Washington University.
46 Samir Chopra 02.04.14 at 11:57 am: Department of Philosophy, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
47 Carolina Bank MuÃ±oz 02.04.14 at 12:00 pm: Carolina Bank MuÃ±oz
48 Peter Taubman 02.04.14 at 12:04 pm: I support this statement and hope others will sign it.
49 Irene Tucker 02.04.14 at 12:21 pm: University of California, Irvine
50 Alex Gourevitch 02.04.14 at 12:31 pm: Department of Political Science, Brown University
51 Alexander Livingston 02.04.14 at 12:33 pm: Alexander Livingston. Department of Government. Cornell University. Ithaca, NY
52 Anna Law 02.04.14 at 12:49 pm: CUNY Brooklyn College
53 djw 02.04.14 at 12:55 pm: Enthusiastically signed.

David Watkins, Political Science Department, University of Dayton
54 Hugh Sansom 02.04.14 at 12:57 pm: Brooklyn, NY
55 Jason Frank 02.04.14 at 12:58 pm: Jason Frank
Department of Government
Cornell University
56 Alexander D. Barder 02.04.14 at 1:02 pm: American University of Beirut
Political Studies & Public Administration
57 Susan Hegeman 02.04.14 at 1:02 pm: University of Florida
58 Jacob T. Levy 02.04.14 at 1:03 pm: Department of Political Science
McGill University
59 Donald L. Anderson 02.04.14 at 1:07 pm: Censorship reigns in Amerika. I support this effort to cut out one piece of the censorship .cancer
60 Dennis Brasky 02.04.14 at 1:08 pm: YES to freedom of speech and thought!
61 Donald L. Anderson 02.04.14 at 1:08 pm: Censorship reigns in Amerika. I support this effort to cut out one piece of the censorship cancer.
62 Wayne Reed 02.04.14 at 1:09 pm: I support this letter.
63 Tom Pessah 02.04.14 at 1:11 pm: University of California, Berkeley
64 John Krinsky 02.04.14 at 1:17 pm: City College of New York – CUNY
65 Robert Mickey 02.04.14 at 1:17 pm: I support this letter.

Dept. of Political Science
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
66 Andrew Parker 02.04.14 at 1:22 pm: Rutgers University, New Brunswick
67 Joseph Entin 02.04.14 at 1:24 pm: Brooklyn College, CUNY
68 thomas masarik 02.04.14 at 1:27 pm: i fully support this letter. victimhood has its limits.
69 Norbert Hornstein 02.04.14 at 1:28 pm: University of Maryland, Collge Park
I support this letter’s content.
70 Samuel Farber 02.04.14 at 1:33 pm: I support the statement above.
71 Chris Forster-SMith 02.04.14 at 1:33 pm: Christopher Forster-Smith, JHU
72 Daniel S. Goldberg 02.04.14 at 1:34 pm: Daniel S. Goldberg, East Carolina University
73 Sean Monahan 02.04.14 at 1:37 pm: Sean Monahan, Brown University
We shouldn’t let our government do anything that makes it harder for civil society to challenge the powerful.
74 William Elison 02.04.14 at 1:37 pm: William Elison, Dartmouth College
75 David Bloom 02.04.14 at 1:40 pm: David Bloom, Research Foundation CUNY, New York.
76 Lisa Duggan, New York University 02.04.14 at 1:43 pm: I support the statement.
77 Chris Bertram 02.04.14 at 1:43 pm: Chris Bertram, Philosophy, University of Bristol
78 John Grant 02.04.14 at 1:49 pm: John Grant, writer.
79 Elizabeth Freeman 02.04.14 at 1:50 pm: Elizabeth Freeman, University of California, Davis (ASA member)
80 Jay Driskell 02.04.14 at 1:50 pm: Jay W. Driskell
Dept of History
Hood College
Frederick, MD
81 Manisha Sinha 02.04.14 at 1:54 pm: I support this letter.
82 James Goodman 02.04.14 at 1:54 pm: James Goodman, History and Creative Writing, Rutgers University, Newark
83 Theresa Runstedtler, History Department, American University 02.04.14 at 1:58 pm: I support this statement
84 Victor Mendoza, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Member, Association for Asian American Studies; American Studies Association) 02.04.14 at 1:58 pm: I support this statement.
85 James-Henry Holland, Hobart and William Smith Colleges 02.04.14 at 1:59 pm: I support this letter. School affiliation listed for identification purposes only.
86 Kelly Grotke, Univ. of Helsinki 02.04.14 at 2:01 pm: Signing in support of this letter.
87 Ted Swedenburg 02.04.14 at 2:02 pm: I support this letter. Professor of Anthropology, University of Arkansas
88 Greg Grandin 02.04.14 at 2:08 pm: Support
89 Benquo 02.04.14 at 2:08 pm: I share your opposition to the bills.

Benjamin Ross Hoffman
Washington, DC
90 Rachel Sherman 02.04.14 at 2:15 pm: Rachel Sherman, New School for Social Research, NYC
91 Simon Gilhooley 02.04.14 at 2:15 pm: Simon Gilhooley
Political Studies
Bard College
92 Judith Surkis 02.04.14 at 2:24 pm: In support

Judith Surkis
History Department
Rutgers University
93 Jacob Slichter 02.04.14 at 2:25 pm: I support this letter.

Jacob Slichter
Brooklyn, NY
94 Ethan Young 02.04.14 at 2:26 pm: Full support.
Ethan Young, Brooklyn NY
95 Arang Keshavarzian 02.04.14 at 2:27 pm: I support this letter.
Arang Keshavarzian
Dept of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
New York University
96 Michelle Kenoyer 02.04.14 at 2:28 pm: People have the right to make their own opinions and take a peaceful stand on the issues that are most meaningful to them.
97 Joseph Fronczak 02.04.14 at 2:29 pm: Yale University
98 David Forbes 02.04.14 at 2:29 pm: I support this letter and hope others will sign it.
Brooklyn College/CUNY
99 Alex Betancourt 02.04.14 at 2:29 pm: Associate Professor,Department of Political Science, University of Puerto Rico
100 Yasmin Nair 02.04.14 at 2:35 pm: Yasmin Nair
101 Yasmin Nair 02.04.14 at 2:35 pm: Signed in support.
102 Mark S. Weiner 02.04.14 at 2:39 pm: I support this statement as a scholar of constitutional law.
103 Joel Berkowitz 02.04.14 at 2:40 pm: Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Jewish Studies program director and CUNY alumnus
104 Matt Brim 02.04.14 at 2:40 pm: Assistant Professor of Queer Studies
College of Staten Island, CUNY
105 James Johnson 02.04.14 at 2:41 pm: James Johnson
Professor
Political Science
University of Rochester
106 Laurie Essig 02.04.14 at 2:41 pm: Middlebury College, Middlebury Vermont “Our representatives should work to protect academic freedom, not stifle it. These bills, if passed, would have a chilling effect on debate within universities and professional organizations.”
107 Matthew Titolo 02.04.14 at 2:41 pm: I support this letter
Matthew Titolo
Associate Professor
West Virginia University College of Law
108 Carole McGranahan 02.04.14 at 2:42 pm: I support this letter. Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of Colorado
109 Alex Lichtenstein 02.04.14 at 2:42 pm: Associate Professor of History, Indiana University
110 colin dayan 02.04.14 at 2:42 pm: I support this letter and have urged others to sign it.
111 Laura Amelio 02.04.14 at 2:44 pm: NYU
112 Samantha Harrison Stand 02.04.14 at 2:45 pm: Support.
113 William Clare Roberts 02.04.14 at 2:48 pm: William Clare Roberts, Assistant Professor of Political Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC
114 Tim Watson 02.04.14 at 3:00 pm: Director, American Studies program, University of Miami
115 Michael Allan Slaughter 02.04.14 at 3:04 pm: Yes.
116 Phil Gasper 02.04.14 at 3:10 pm: Madison Area Technical College, Madison, WI
117 Eileen Boris 02.04.14 at 3:11 pm: These bills are dangerous and unconstitutional.
118 Ayisha Irfan 02.04.14 at 3:14 pm: Ayisha Irfan
119 Sarah Bracke 02.04.14 at 3:15 pm: In support.

Research Associate Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA.
120 John Waters 02.04.14 at 3:16 pm: Irish Studies, New York University
121 Andrew Perrin 02.04.14 at 3:17 pm: Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Sociology
Director, Carolina Seminars Program
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
122 Sherry Wolf 02.04.14 at 3:20 pm: associate editor, International Socialist Review
123 David Mizner 02.04.14 at 3:21 pm: Thank you.
124 Meredith Weiss 02.04.14 at 3:23 pm: University at Albany, SUNY and Johns Hopkins University
125 Thomas Lumley 02.04.14 at 3:24 pm: Professor of Biostatistics, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Affiliate Professor, University of Washington, Seattle
126 Andrew Ross 02.04.14 at 3:25 pm: New York University
127 Jeffrey Shoulson 02.04.14 at 3:26 pm: Konover Chair in Judaic Studies
Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life
Professor of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages
University of Connecticut
128 Julia Daugherty 02.04.14 at 3:32 pm: People for Justice in Palestine, Iowa City, IA
129 Nikhil Singh 02.04.14 at 3:35 pm: Support.
130 Benjamin J. George 02.04.14 at 3:36 pm: University of New Mexico. ASA member.
131 Daniel Braaten 02.04.14 at 3:36 pm: Texas Lutheran University
132 Scott Lemieux 02.04.14 at 3:40 pm: The College of Saint Rose
133 Sina Kramer 02.04.14 at 3:40 pm: Department of Philosophy, Fordham University, New York
134 Mark Major 02.04.14 at 3:41 pm: I support this statement. Associate Director, Democracy Institute, Penn State University.
135 Les Field 02.04.14 at 3:42 pm: Signed in support
Dept. of Anthropology
Univerisity of New Mexico
136 Jameson Quinn 02.04.14 at 3:48 pm: Jameson Quinn, G1 statistics, Harvard University
137 Rebecca Schreiber 02.04.14 at 3:51 pm: I support this statement.
138 Watson Ladd 02.04.14 at 3:51 pm: Watson Ladd
139 Julie Greene 02.04.14 at 3:53 pm: As a supporter of free speech and academic freedom, I support this letter.

Julie Greene, History Department, University of Maryland
140 Didier Course 02.04.14 at 3:53 pm: I support this letter.
141 Nick Steffen 02.04.14 at 3:56 pm: Student at the University of Saint Francis
142 Liz Hutchison 02.04.14 at 3:56 pm: support, thank-you
143 Colin Danby 02.04.14 at 3:56 pm: University of Washington, Bothell
144 Alan Koenig 02.04.14 at 4:03 pm: In support,

Alan Koenig, Ph.D. Candidate, CUNY Graduate Center
145 Melissa Schwartzberg 02.04.14 at 4:05 pm: Melissa Schwartzberg, Department of Politics, New York University
146 Sandeep Vaheesan 02.04.14 at 4:05 pm: Sandeep Vaheesan
147 Lisa Henderson 02.04.14 at 4:07 pm: University of Massachusetts

I strongly support the statement, and oppose legislative misrepresentation and power playing. The ASA resolution does not deny any Israeli scholar opportunity for engagement, regardless of their political position on Palestine.
148 Drew Silver 02.04.14 at 4:07 pm: In support.
149 Laura Tanenbaum 02.04.14 at 4:09 pm: Supported. Laura Tanenbaum, English Department, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York
150 Raymond Haberski, Jr. 02.04.14 at 4:13 pm: In support
151 Jeet Heer 02.04.14 at 4:21 pm: I support this letter.
152 Tiana Reid 02.04.14 at 4:21 pm: In support of this letter.

Tiana Reid
153 Chris Lawrence 02.04.14 at 4:23 pm: Christopher N. Lawrence, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Middle Georgia State College (in support).
154 Shelley Streeby 02.04.14 at 4:25 pm: I wish the university presidents who were so quick to denounce the ASA had read the boycott resolution this carefully and cared enough about academic freedom to speak out against this unconstitutional bill as these authors do. That they didn’t says a lot about the politics of academic freedom as well as the politics and economics of higher education these days. This bill trounces on the First Amendment and academic freedom. I strongly support this letter
155 Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 02.04.14 at 4:27 pm: Professor Emerita, California State University
156 Jason Sorens 02.04.14 at 4:29 pm: Jason Sorens, Government Department, Dartmouth College.
157 Vera Tobin 02.04.14 at 4:36 pm: Department of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University.
158 John Protevi 02.04.14 at 4:42 pm: Department of French Studies
Louisiana State University
159 Curtis Marez 02.04.14 at 4:43 pm: Curtis Marez, Associate Professor and Chair, Ethnic Studies Department, UC San Diego
160 Joanna Bujes 02.04.14 at 4:45 pm: Joannan Bujes, Oakland, CA
161 Dave Pooser 02.04.14 at 4:46 pm: I wholeheartedly support this letter.
162 Shante Paradigm Smalls 02.04.14 at 4:50 pm: Shante Paradigm Smalls
Assistant Professor
Department of American Studies
University of New Mexico
163 Ian 02.04.14 at 4:50 pm: Ian Munro, Department of Drama, University of California, Irvine
164 Jamie Mayerfeld 02.04.14 at 4:51 pm: Jamie Mayerfeld, Department of Political Science, University of Washington
165 Ashley Dawson 02.04.14 at 4:52 pm: Ashley Dawson, City University of New York
166 Marcy Newman 02.04.14 at 4:52 pm: Marcy Newman (ASA member)
167 J. Simcha Rubin 02.04.14 at 4:57 pm: J. Simcha Rubin.
Department of Anthropology
The University of Chicago.
Born and raised in Queens, New York.
168 Jadira Gurule 02.04.14 at 4:58 pm: Jadira Gurule (ASA member)
169 Robert Weil 02.04.14 at 4:59 pm: I support this letter and the recent action by the ASA.
Robert Weil, Retired, University of California Santa Cruz
170 Elliott Green 02.04.14 at 5:00 pm: Elliott Green, Associate Professor of Development Studies, London School of Economics
171 Sam Markwell 02.04.14 at 5:07 pm: Research Service Learning Program
University of New Mexico
172 Richard Sattler 02.04.14 at 5:09 pm: Richard A. Sattler
Department of Anthropology
University of Montana
173 Gregory Smith 02.04.14 at 5:13 pm: I whole-heartedly support this statement.

Gregory Smith
Brooklyn, NY
174 Siva Vaidhyanathan 02.04.14 at 5:14 pm: Robertson Professor and Chair, Media Studies Department, The University of Virginia.
175 Kathy M. Newman 02.04.14 at 5:15 pm: I’m in! Thanks for writing this.
176 Derek Lu 02.04.14 at 5:19 pm: Derek Lu, San Jose, CA
177 Lee Zimmerman 02.04.14 at 5:22 pm: English Department
Hofstra University
NY
178 Barry Shank 02.04.14 at 5:27 pm: Department of Comparative Studies
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
179 David M. Luebke 02.04.14 at 5:34 pm: David M. Luebke
Professor of History
University of Oregon
180 Irene Siegel 02.04.14 at 5:37 pm: Department of Comparative Literature and Languages
Hofstra University
181 Bart Van Steirteghem 02.04.14 at 5:40 pm: Mathematics, Medgar Evers College – CUNY
182 Kim Griffis 02.04.14 at 5:42 pm: supporting intellectual & creative expression; standing against violence & exploitation.
183 John Ehrenberg 02.04.14 at 5:43 pm: Department of Political Science
Long Island University
Brooklyn, NY
184 Sean McCann 02.04.14 at 5:56 pm: Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT
185 Paul Kern 02.04.14 at 5:58 pm: Support!
186 Barbara Sacks 02.04.14 at 6:05 pm: I strongly support this letter.
187 Bob Perillo 02.04.14 at 6:06 pm: I support this letter.
188 V. Gina DÃaz 02.04.14 at 6:07 pm: University of New Mexico
189 Zeina Sayegh 02.04.14 at 6:08 pm: Department of Comparative Literature and Languages
Hofstra University, NY
Supporting ASA’s decision and intellectual/academic freedom; denouncing oppression and censorship.
190 Jarrod Myrick 02.04.14 at 6:12 pm: Support.
191 Eleanor Taniguchi 02.04.14 at 6:12 pm: Sacramento, CA
192 esti marpet 02.04.14 at 6:14 pm: i strongly support this letter.
193 Barry Finger 02.04.14 at 6:15 pm: In support
194 Jay Schaffner 02.04.14 at 6:17 pm: Please add my name.
195 Emily Cammack 02.04.14 at 6:19 pm: I support this letter.
196 Nancy Bentley 02.04.14 at 6:22 pm: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
197 Adom Getachew 02.04.14 at 6:25 pm: PhD Candidate, Departments of African-American Studies and Political Science, Yale University
198 Rosalyn Baxandall 02.04.14 at 6:26 pm: Distinguished Teaching Professor American Studies Emerita
199 sandy boyer 02.04.14 at 6:28 pm: Sandy Boyer, Radio Free Eireann
200 Amy L. Brandzel 02.04.14 at 6:29 pm: Assistant Professor of American Studies and Women Studies
University of New Mexico.

In full support of this letter.
201 Jim Farmelant 02.04.14 at 6:31 pm: I support this statement.
202 Philip Ording 02.04.14 at 6:38 pm: Medgar Evers College CUNY, Brooklyn, NY
203 Nick Estes 02.04.14 at 6:39 pm: PhD Student, American Studies Department, University of New Mexico
ASA member
NAISA member
204 Christopher Cassidy 02.04.14 at 6:40 pm: Christopher Cassidy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
205 Carl Freedman 02.04.14 at 6:44 pm: I support this statement. — Carl Freedman, James F. Cassidy Professor of English, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge)
206 H N Hirsch 02.04.14 at 6:51 pm: I support this letter.

H N Hirsch, Professor of Politics, Oberlin College
207 Kandice Chuh 02.04.14 at 6:56 pm: Kandice Chuh, CUNY Graduate Center
Member of ASA and AAAS
208 Chris Eng 02.04.14 at 7:00 pm: Chris Eng, CUNY Graduate Center
209 Bill Mullen 02.04.14 at 7:05 pm: I support this letter. I am a member of ASA.

Professor of English and American Studies
Purdue University
210 Kristin Bergen 02.04.14 at 7:05 pm: Howard University
211 Christopher Niedt 02.04.14 at 7:09 pm: I support this letter.

Department of Sociology
Hofstra University
212 Stephen Peltier 02.04.14 at 7:14 pm: I support this letter.

Stephen Peltier
M.F.A. Screenwriting, June 2015
School of Theater, Film, & Television
University of California, Los Angeles
213 John Halle 02.04.14 at 7:15 pm: Bard College Conservatory of Music
214 Cynthia Young 02.04.14 at 7:17 pm: Boston College
Departments of English & African and African Diaspora Studies
215 Burton R. Miller 02.04.14 at 7:17 pm: Thank you for this post! I strongly support the sentiments expressed in the letter.

Burton R. Miller
New York, New York
216 Ross Poole 02.04.14 at 7:23 pm: Philosophy & Politics
New School for Social Research
217 Cambridge Ridley Lynch 02.04.14 at 7:24 pm: Cambridge Ridley Lynch, CUNY Graduate Center
218 Ben Weinkove 02.04.14 at 7:24 pm: Department of Mathematics, Northwestern University
219 Zachary Tavlin 02.04.14 at 7:28 pm: University of Washington
220 Leslie Salzinger 02.04.14 at 7:31 pm: I support this letter.
Leslie Salzinger
University of California at Berkeley
221 Joel Lewis 02.04.14 at 7:32 pm: Joel Lewis, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
222 Min Hyoung Song 02.04.14 at 7:35 pm: Min Hyoung Song, Boston College
223 Milton Garber 02.04.14 at 7:43 pm: I support this letter.
224 Paul Erickson 02.04.14 at 7:48 pm: American Antiquarian Society
225 Saye Atkinson 02.04.14 at 7:51 pm: Saye Atkinson
Dept. of English, University of North Georgia
226 Kimberly Katz 02.04.14 at 8:05 pm: Department of History
Towson University
227 Susana Loza, Hampshire College. 02.04.14 at 8:10 pm: I support this letter.
228 Gabriel Winant 02.04.14 at 8:11 pm: I support this letter.

Gabriel Winant
PhD candidate
Yale University
229 Maria Eugenia Lopez 02.04.14 at 8:14 pm: I support this statement.

Maria E. Lopez
University of New Mexico
230 Michael Becker 02.04.14 at 8:15 pm: I support this letter.

Michael Becker
PhD Candidate
Duke University
231 Linda Chapman 02.04.14 at 8:18 pm: I support this letter.

Linda Chapman
Associate Artistic Director
New York Theatre Workshop
232 Chad Pearson 02.04.14 at 8:19 pm: Support
233 Lizabeth Paravisini 02.04.14 at 8:29 pm: In full support
Lizabeth Paravisni-Gebert
Vassar College
234 Todd Shepard 02.04.14 at 8:33 pm: I support this letter. Todd Shepard, Philadelphia, PA
235 Kim Carlson 02.04.14 at 8:36 pm: I support this.

Kim Carlson, Los Angeles
236 Warren Ingber 02.04.14 at 8:51 pm: This bill is deficient under settled first amendment principles, on two counts: right to boycott, academic freedom. Its merits have nothing to do with what political opinions are deemed taboo or chic, by whom, with what intensity, or in what numbers. New York State legislators are bound to support the federal and state constitutions. The Senators who voted for this bill should explain to us how their vote squares with that mandate.
237 Bruce McCulley 02.04.14 at 8:54 pm: I support this letter.

Bruce McCulley
Nevada City, CA
238 Josh Edelman 02.04.14 at 9:23 pm: I support this letter.

Joshua Edelman
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
University of London
239 Shane Graham 02.04.14 at 9:41 pm: I support this letter.

–Shane Graham, Associate Professor of English, Utah State University
240 Sonia Jaffe Robbins 02.04.14 at 9:51 pm: I support this letter, and I’m a New York State taxpayer.
241 William Berry 02.04.14 at 10:02 pm: I am not an academic, but I heartily endorse the sentiments expressed in the letter, and I deplore the proposed legislative assault on the rights of free speech and association.
242 Christian Mecham 02.04.14 at 10:20 pm: I support this letter.
243 Bob Hodges 02.04.14 at 10:25 pm: I support this letter.

Graduate Student & Instructor, University of Washington
244 Matthew Mersky 02.04.14 at 10:39 pm: I support this

-Matthew Mersky
Seville, Spain
245 Dawn Winsor-Hibble 02.04.14 at 11:06 pm: I wholeheartedly support this letter.
246 Gabriel and Xochitl Morgan 02.04.14 at 11:11 pm: We fully support this letter. The proposed bills are a direct attack on academic freedom.

Xochitl Morgan
Research Scientist, Harvard University

Gabriel Morgan
MFA, North Carolina State University
247 Ronald J Bradey PhD ASA Member 02.04.14 at 11:25 pm: I support this letter.
248 Laree Pourier 02.04.14 at 11:31 pm: Laree Pourier
Social Justice, Fine Arts, Marquette University
249 John McGowan 02.04.14 at 11:38 pm: I support this statement.

Institute for the Arts and Humanities
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
250 Susie Kneedler 02.04.14 at 11:48 pm: Thank you for defending free speech.
251 Salah D Hassan 02.04.14 at 11:52 pm: I strongly support this statement.
252 Susan Dwyer 02.04.14 at 11:52 pm: I support this statement.
253 Jim Holstun, University at Buffalo 02.05.14 at 12:09 am: University at Buffalo
254 Jim Holstun, University at Buffalo 02.05.14 at 12:10 am: I support this statement
255 Ken Berry 02.05.14 at 12:21 am: I support this letter.
256 Seth Ackerman 02.05.14 at 12:48 am: I strongly support this statement.

Seth Ackerman
Teaching assistant / Ph.D. candidate
Department of History
Cornell University
257 Alan Wald 02.05.14 at 12:59 am: Thanks for preparing this statement–I support it.
Alan Wald, life-time ASA member.
258 Joseph Nevins 02.05.14 at 1:44 am: Department of Earth Science and Geography
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York
259 Liza Featherstone 02.05.14 at 1:49 am: Belle Zeller Visiting Professor, Political Science, Brooklyn College.
Thank you — I whole-heartedly support this statement.
260 Jason Grote 02.05.14 at 2:02 am: Jason Grote, Los Angeles, CA
261 Roger Lancaster 02.05.14 at 2:05 am: Director of Cultural Studies
George Mason University
262 Scott Kurashige 02.05.14 at 2:16 am: University of Michigan
263 Caroline Z-H. Abbott 02.05.14 at 2:43 am: I support this statement.
264 Rich Meagher 02.05.14 at 2:43 am: Assistant Professor of Political Science
Randolph-Macon College
Ashland, VA
265 Alex S. Vitale 02.05.14 at 2:56 am: Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Brooklyn College
266 Jeff Martin 02.05.14 at 2:58 am: I support the letter and oppose the bill.
267 Christopher Stone 02.05.14 at 2:59 am: I support this letter.

Associate Professor of Arabic
Hunter College
City University of New York
268 Atissa Banuazizi 02.05.14 at 3:13 am: Lecturer, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
269 Marek Steedman 02.05.14 at 3:21 am: I support this letter.
270 Ilene Cohen 02.05.14 at 3:42 am: Princeton, NJ, and New York, NY

Great to see this; I support
271 Paul Bloom 02.05.14 at 4:09 am: I support this letter.

Paul Bloom
Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science
Yale University
272 Timothy Shortell 02.05.14 at 4:14 am: Please add my name.

Timothy Shortell
Brooklyn College CUNY
273 Samantha Tavlin 02.05.14 at 4:18 am: Samantha Tavlin
Indiana University
274 Eileen Shaughnessy 02.05.14 at 4:24 am: I support this statement!
University of New Mexico
275 David Stannard 02.05.14 at 4:36 am: University of Hawaii
276 Brandon Wolfe-Hunnicutt 02.05.14 at 4:44 am: Brandon Wolfe-Hunnicutt
Merced, California
277 Stephen Frug 02.05.14 at 4:53 am: I support this.

Stephen Frug
Visiting Assistant Professor
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
278 Jane Glaubman 02.05.14 at 5:11 am: Cornell University
279 Charles Manekin 02.05.14 at 5:13 am: I support this

Charles Manekin
Professor of Philosophy
University of Maryland
Director,
Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies
280 Nina Haft 02.05.14 at 5:39 am: I support this statement and thank you for defending the right to free speech.
281 Sean Estelle 02.05.14 at 6:10 am: UCSD Alumnus
282 Rachel Howes 02.05.14 at 6:15 am: I support this letter
283 Michael Levin 02.05.14 at 6:21 am: I support this.

Michael Levin
Columbia College
Chicago, Illinois
284 Caren Kaplan 02.05.14 at 6:50 am: I support this letter.
285 Keith P. Feldman 02.05.14 at 7:20 am: Assistant Professor
Department of Ethnic Studies
UC Berkeley
286 Bijan Parsia 02.05.14 at 7:33 am: I support this letter.
Senior Lecturer
School of Computer Science
University of Manchester, UK
287 David Rylance 02.05.14 at 7:40 am: In support
288 Jeanne Theoharis 02.05.14 at 11:25 am: I support this statement.

Jeanne Theoharis, Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College
289 Nancy Hankir 02.05.14 at 12:15 pm: Thank you for defending freedom of thought.
290 Karma Chavez 02.05.14 at 12:40 pm: University of Wisconsin, Madison and ASA Member
291 ISABEL PINEDO 02.05.14 at 12:59 pm: I support this free speech statement.
292 Jordan 02.05.14 at 1:44 pm: I support this.
Jordan Dopkins
Miami, Florida
293 Michael Adas 02.05.14 at 1:45 pm: Rutgers University at New Brunswick
294 Bruce Shapiro 02.05.14 at 1:47 pm: I support this statement.

Bruce Shapiro
Executive Director, Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
295 Lucinda Ramberg 02.05.14 at 2:03 pm: Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Cornell University

I support this statement.
296 Miranda Joseph 02.05.14 at 2:04 pm: University of Arizona
297 Martin 02.05.14 at 2:07 pm: Martin Smith, Vermont. Thank you for writing this letter, which I happily endorse.
298 Jacob Remes 02.05.14 at 2:11 pm: Jacob Remes
SUNY Empire State College, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
299 Jesse Goldberg 02.05.14 at 2:12 pm: I support this statement.

Jesse Goldberg, Cornell University
Department of English
(ASA member)
300 Jacob Lee 02.05.14 at 2:21 pm: I strongly endorse this letter.
301 John McMahon 02.05.14 at 2:26 pm: I support this statement

John McMahon
Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science, The Graduate Center, CUNY
302 karl steel 02.05.14 at 2:30 pm: Karl Steel
Assistant Professor
English Department
Brooklyn College, CUNY
303 Anthony Alessandrini 02.05.14 at 2:34 pm: Anthony Alessandrini, Kingsborough Community College-CUNY
304 Alex Elinson 02.05.14 at 2:34 pm: I support this letter.

Alex Elinson
Associate Professor of Arabic
Hunter College, City University of New York
305 Arthur Goldwag 02.05.14 at 2:38 pm: I support this statement.

Arthur Goldwag
Brooklyn, NY, author of THE NEW HATE: A HISTORY OF FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE POPULIST RIGHT and other books.
306 John Patrick Leary 02.05.14 at 2:47 pm: Assistant Professor, English
Wayne State University
307 Alyosha Goldstein 02.05.14 at 2:52 pm: Alyosha Goldstein (ASA member)
American Studies Department
University of New Mexico
308 Yves Winter 02.05.14 at 2:56 pm: Assistant Professor of Political Science
McGill University
309 Sarah Wilbur 02.05.14 at 2:58 pm: Sarah Wilbur
Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance
University of California, Los Angeles
310 Jessica Siegel 02.05.14 at 3:27 pm: Jessica Siegel
Assistant Professor
English Dept.
Brooklyn College, CUNY
311 Ismail Rashid 02.05.14 at 3:30 pm: I support this statement.

Ismail Rashid
Professor of History
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY
312 Elizabeth Hollander 02.05.14 at 3:33 pm: Lehman College, CUNY
313 Matthew Reece 02.05.14 at 3:37 pm: Matthew Reece, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
314 Mira-Lisa Katz, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 02.05.14 at 3:47 pm: I support this statement.
315 Peter Gose 02.05.14 at 3:53 pm: Peter Gose
Full Professor
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Carleton University
Canada
316 Elizabeth Thornberry 02.05.14 at 3:54 pm: Elizabeth Thornberry, Assistant Professor of History, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva NY
317 Dr. Edwin E. Daniel 02.05.14 at 4:22 pm: I support this letter
318 George de Stefano 02.05.14 at 5:05 pm: I’m not an academic but many of my best friends are. They’re outraged by this censorship bill, and so am I. Excellent letter — fully support it.
319 Jodi Dean 02.05.14 at 5:10 pm: I support this letter.

Jodi Dean
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
320 Samir Okasha 02.05.14 at 5:15 pm: Department of Philosophy, University of Bristol
321 Joe Soss 02.05.14 at 5:19 pm: I support this statement.

Joe Soss
Cowles Professor for the Study of Public Service
University of Minnesota
322 Donald A. Coffin 02.05.14 at 6:43 pm: I wish to add my support to this letter.

Donald A. Coffin
Emeritus Professor of Economics
School of Business and Economics
Indiana University Northwest
Gary, IN
323 Amy Schiller 02.05.14 at 6:45 pm: I support this statement.

Amy Schiller
The Graduate Center, CUNY
324 Tom Hayes 02.05.14 at 7:19 pm: I support this statement and the principles it enunciates.

Tom Hayes
Assistant Professor
Film Division
School of Dance, Film, and Theater
Ohio University
325 Thomas Nephew 02.05.14 at 7:48 pm: I support this statement, and will be working with fellow Marylanders to oppose the Maryland bill.
326 John E. McGeever 02.05.14 at 8:10 pm: I support this statement
327 Dennis Kortheuer 02.05.14 at 8:10 pm: I support this statement.
Dennis Kortheuer, Cal State Long Beach
328 Chris Toensing 02.05.14 at 8:18 pm: Chris Toensing
Middle East Research and Information Project
Washington, DC
329 Pete Gaughan 02.05.14 at 9:40 pm: Pete Gaughan, Concord California
330 Adam Swift 02.05.14 at 10:53 pm: University of Warwick, UK
331 Sus. 02.06.14 at 2:43 am: Susan Laury, Georgia State University
332 David Whitten Smith 02.06.14 at 2:49 am: I support this statement.

Emeritus Professor of Theology, Justice and Peace Studies
University of St. Thomas, Minnesota.
333 Michael Trujillo 02.06.14 at 4:01 am: Michael L. Trujillo
Associate Professor
American Studies and Chicana/o Studies
University of New Mexico
334 Frederick W Nairn 02.06.14 at 4:23 am: I support this letter.
335 Mary Wilson 02.06.14 at 1:23 pm: I support this post.
336 Caroline Arnold 02.06.14 at 1:42 pm: Brooklyn College, CUNY
337 Shirley Jordon 02.06.14 at 3:30 pm: I support this letter.
338 Margaret Power 02.06.14 at 4:10 pm: I support this statement and do not like the idea that those who oppose a boycott of Israel and threatening a boycott of academic conferences.
339 David Coombs 02.06.14 at 6:09 pm: David Coombs, Clemson University
340 Kim Weeden 02.06.14 at 7:11 pm: Kim Weeden
Professor of Sociology
Director, Institute for the Social Sciences
Cornell University
341 Grant Mandarino 02.06.14 at 7:17 pm: Fully support
342 Peter Wirzbicki 02.06.14 at 7:24 pm: Peter Wirzbicki, University of Chicago
343 Meredith L. McGill 02.06.14 at 7:25 pm: Rutgers University
344 Martin Tanz 02.06.14 at 7:55 pm: Attorney

I fully support this statement. Anyone who has read Orwell should appreciate the absurdity of these bills.
345 Patchen Markell 02.06.14 at 8:03 pm: Patchen Markell, University of Chicago
346 Huma Dar 02.06.14 at 8:20 pm: Full support to academic freedom AND to the ASA resolution, which will, I hope, further the cause of justice in Palestine, and throughout the world.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I agree.
347 Tim Lacy 02.06.14 at 8:25 pm: Tim Lacy, Loyola University Chicago
348 Katharine Beutner 02.06.14 at 8:40 pm: Signed in support.
Katharine Beutner
Dept. of English, University of Hawai’i
349 Michelle Burnham 02.06.14 at 8:42 pm: Michelle Burnham, Santa Clara University
350 Peter Jaros 02.06.14 at 8:52 pm: I support this letter.

Peter Jaros
Assistant Professor of English
Franklin & Marshall College
351 Andrew Parker 02.06.14 at 9:08 pm: Professor, Rutgers University, New Brunswick
352 Thomas Sugrue 02.06.14 at 9:17 pm: Professor, University of Pennsylvania
353 Robin Varghese 02.06.14 at 9:31 pm: I support this statement.
354 Andrew Hsiao 02.06.14 at 9:39 pm: Senior Editor, Verso Books, New York
355 Jennifer Greiman 02.06.14 at 9:54 pm: Department of English
University at Albany, SUNY

Though the NY Assembly Higher Ed committee tabled the bill on Monday, the speaker intends to re-introduce it, so this is not yet over in NY.
356 colin dayan 02.06.14 at 10:17 pm: The ASA vote has taken the lid off the pot: and look what we see: silencing, and worse:
357 Jonathan Stein 02.06.14 at 10:37 pm: Managing Editor, Project Syndicate.
358 Elizabeth Prince 02.06.14 at 10:41 pm: I support free speech and therefore support this statement.
Elizabeth Prince
Blue Hill, ME
359 Sean Duffy 02.06.14 at 11:13 pm: Department of Philosophy an Political Science
Quinnipiac University
Hamden, CT
360 Sandra Tomc 02.06.14 at 11:49 pm: Department of English
University of British Columbia
361 David Lurie 02.07.14 at 12:17 am: An academic association voted to undertake an effort to shut down academic interchanges and communications with institutions of higher learning in another country. In other words, the ASA voted to to set out to do use its best efforts to suppress speech.

It is not surprising to me that members of the New York legislature have questioned whether taxpayer funds should be going — directly or indirectly — to fund such academic speech suppression efforts.

All of that said, my view about the New York legislative effort is much the same as Professor Farrell’s view about the ASA’s resolution, I think it is “tactically foolish.”

The fact that it provides an opportunity for advocates of speech suppression to present themselves (farcically, in my view) as advocates of academic freedom tells me that it is a bad idea. In any event, the bill has now been suspended.
362 Denny Li 02.07.14 at 12:35 am: I support this letter. The US government does not have the right to dampen political speech by restricting funds from people who wish to express themselves through boycott.
363 Mary Poor 02.07.14 at 12:57 am: I support this statement.
364 Marilena Di Bucchianico 02.07.14 at 1:30 am: I support this statement.
365 Kirsten Saxton 02.07.14 at 1:33 am: English Department
366 Trinyan Mariano 02.07.14 at 1:36 am: In support
367 Maggie Clinton 02.07.14 at 2:24 am: History Department
Middlebury College, VT
368 Roxanne Willis 02.07.14 at 3:11 am: In support.
369 Jim Naureckas 02.07.14 at 3:23 am: In support of the First Amendment.
370 Ania Loomba 02.07.14 at 3:46 am: I support this letter. It is shameful to deny academics the right if dissent.
371 Heather Mitchell-Buck 02.07.14 at 3:46 am: Voicing my support from Frederick, MD.
372 Fred Bohrer 02.07.14 at 4:09 am: It is high time for this.
373 matt larson 02.07.14 at 4:44 am: I support this article. National labor college.
374 Eleanor Rieffel 02.07.14 at 5:20 am: I support this letter, and commend the authors, from different sides of the boycott debate, for coming together on this issue.
375 Deborah Gordon, Associate Prof, Women's Studies 02.07.14 at 5:25 am: I support this statement. Wichita State University. Wichita, KS.
376 Meredith Hoppin 02.07.14 at 6:31 am: I support this letter.

Department of Classics
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
377 Robert Epstein 02.07.14 at 11:00 am: Associate Professor of English, Fairfield University
378 Anne Poston 02.07.14 at 2:30 pm: I agree with this open letter. Mt Pleasant mi
379 Ian Zuckerman 02.07.14 at 2:47 pm: I support this letter.

Assistant Professor of Political Science
University of Minnesota Duluth
380 Leo Casey 02.07.14 at 2:53 pm: Leo Casey
Albert Shanker Institute
381 Laura Briggs 02.07.14 at 3:25 pm: Chair and Professor, Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst
382 Paula Chakravartty 02.07.14 at 3:30 pm: Associate Professor Gallatin School and Department of Media, Culture and Communication, NYU
383 Ken Wissoker 02.07.14 at 3:31 pm: I support this letter.
384 Jian Song 02.07.14 at 3:35 pm: Rutgers University
385 Aref Nammari 02.07.14 at 3:42 pm: I support this statement. Professional Research Assistant University of Colorado
386 Suzanne Bergeron 02.07.14 at 3:56 pm: I support this letter.

Women’s and Gender Studies
Social Sciences
University of Michigan Dearborn
387 Lisa Seelinger 02.07.14 at 4:52 pm: I support this letter.
388 Ashraf Ahmed 02.07.14 at 5:14 pm: Graduate Student
Political Science, Columbia
389 Rich Maletta 02.07.14 at 5:23 pm: I support this letter. Rich Maletta, Brooklyn College, Brookyln, NY
390 Lara Langer Cohen 02.07.14 at 5:52 pm: Assistant Professor of English, Swarthmore College
391 Bret Benjamin 02.07.14 at 5:52 pm: University at Albany, SUNY
392 Ben Bradley 02.07.14 at 5:55 pm: Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy
Syracuse University
393 Peter Takacs 02.07.14 at 6:13 pm: Philosophy, Biology, and History & Philosophy of Science
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
394 Justin Kolb 02.07.14 at 6:13 pm: Justin Kolb, Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature, The American University in Cairo.

I support this letter.
395 Michael Bramley 02.07.14 at 6:13 pm: Michael Bramley Cert Math (Open), BSc (Hons), MA.
396 Matt Brown 02.07.14 at 8:05 pm: Matthew J. Brown
Director, Center for Values in Medicine, Science, and Technology
The University of Texas at Dallas
397 Jeremy Anderson 02.07.14 at 8:58 pm: Department of Philosophy, DePauw University
398 jonathan weiler 02.07.14 at 9:36 pm: Jonathan Weiler, Global Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill
399 William J. Maxwell 02.07.14 at 10:00 pm: I support this letter.

–William J. Maxwell, English and African American Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
400 John Rapko 02.08.14 at 5:03 am: College of Marin and California College of the Arts
401 Charles Peterson 02.08.14 at 5:09 am: I support this letter.

Charles Peterson, San Antonio, Texas
402 Patricia Morton 02.08.14 at 7:11 am: I support this letter.
403 Patricia Morton 02.08.14 at 7:13 am: Chair and Associate Professor, Art History Department, UC Riverside
404 Anthony Mora 02.08.14 at 5:17 pm: University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
405 Ibrahim Aoude 02.08.14 at 9:21 pm: I fully support this Open Letter
406 Ibrahim Aoude 02.08.14 at 9:25 pm: I support the Open Letter
407 Kathy E. Ferguson 02.08.14 at 9:33 pm: I support this letter.

Kathy E. Ferguson
Departments of Political Science and Women’s Studies
University of Haai’i
408 Noelani Goodyear-Kaopua 02.08.14 at 10:28 pm: I support this statement.
409 Laura E. Lyons 02.08.14 at 10:33 pm: I strongly support this letter.
410 William E. Connolly 02.08.14 at 10:44 pm: I support this protest wholeheartedly, and admire the courage of the ASA. The president of my university acted as if he spoke for all of Hopkins when he opposed the ASA action. The bill is horrendous….
411 Walter Simons 02.08.14 at 11:25 pm: In support

Walter Simons, Chair, Dept. of History, Dartmouth College
412 Kennan Ferguson 02.09.14 at 2:12 am: I support this statement.
413 Asli Bali 02.09.14 at 2:17 am: I support this letter.

AslÄ± Ãœ. BÃ¢li,
UCLA School of Law
414 Clay Shirky 02.09.14 at 3:10 am: I support this letter.

Associate Professor, Journalism, NYU
415 Aziz Rana 02.09.14 at 4:04 am: I support this letter.

Associate Professor of Law, Cornell Law School
416 Sari Hanafi 02.09.14 at 5:42 am: I fully support this letter. Professor of sociology, American Univ. of Beirut
417 Evelyn Alsultany 02.09.14 at 1:59 pm: Associate Professor, University of Michigan
418 Elizabeth Wrigley-Field 02.09.14 at 7:12 pm: In support, and thank you for writing this.

Ph.D. Candidate, Sociology; Member, Teaching Assistant Association; University of Wisconsin-Madison
419 Karin Rosemblatt 02.09.14 at 7:31 pm: Associate Professor, University of Maryland-College Park
420 Lisa Uperesa 02.10.14 at 6:43 am: In support
Lisa Uperesa, University of Hawaii
421 Fran Shor 02.10.14 at 12:36 pm: Well crafted critique of legislative censorship of “unpopular” political positions of academics and their organizations. I support the statement and its condemnation of such censorship.
422 Judith Butler 02.10.14 at 3:07 pm: This is an important matter of principle with which everyone can agree, regardless of one’s view for or against the academic boycott.
423 Wendy Brown 02.10.14 at 3:11 pm: Support.
424 joan w. scott 02.10.14 at 7:17 pm: The stakes are very high with legislation of this kind, it threatens the very principles of open exchange, free speech, rights of conscience, and academic freedom that are at the heart of democratic practice.
425 Sarah Jaffe 02.10.14 at 9:52 pm: I support this.

Journalist
426 Eric S Gregory 02.10.14 at 9:54 pm: Behind this 100%.
427 Anthony Reed 02.10.14 at 9:59 pm: I support this letter.
Anthony Reed
Yale University
428 Doug Henwood 02.10.14 at 10:08 pm: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign this but this sort of legislation is aimed to repress speech to satisfy the policy goals of the U.S. government and its ally Israel. This sort of thing is another sign that elites have turned more hostile to the bourgeois democratic principles the country is supposedly founded on.
429 Kevin Bruyneel 02.10.14 at 10:09 pm: I support this statement!

Kevin Bruyneel
Babson College, Wellesley, MA
430 Celina Su 02.10.14 at 10:10 pm: In support.
431 Jamsheed Siyar 02.10.14 at 10:14 pm: In support.
432 Kirsten Weld 02.10.14 at 10:18 pm: In support.
433 Eric Moore 02.10.14 at 10:22 pm: In support of this letter.
434 Kieko Matteson 02.10.14 at 10:22 pm: I support this letter and the concerns it articulates.

Kieko Matteson
University of Hawai’i
435 Rania Khalek 02.10.14 at 10:23 pm: Support 100%
436 Mark Healey 02.10.14 at 10:23 pm: I support this statement and oppose the legislation. Thanks for writing this.

Mark Healey, University of Connecticut
437 Kindred Winecoff 02.10.14 at 10:26 pm: I support this.

William Kindred Winecoff
Indiana University Bloomington
438 Lisa Lowe 02.10.14 at 10:27 pm: Professor, Tufts University
439 Mara Fridell 02.10.14 at 10:29 pm: In full support.
440 Christian Bowe 02.10.14 at 10:32 pm: In support.

J-PAL at MIT.
441 Mehmet Kucukozer 02.10.14 at 11:30 pm: I support this statement.

Mehmet Kucukozer
Department of Behavioral Sciences
Dutchess Community College, SUNY
442 George Ciccariello-Maher 02.10.14 at 11:31 pm: I support.

George Ciccariello-Maher
Drexel University
443 Liz Mason-Deese 02.10.14 at 11:38 pm: In support,
Liz Mason-Deese
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
444 Hugh McDonnell 02.10.14 at 11:51 pm: I support this letter.
445 Carmelo J. CintrÃ³n Vivas 02.10.14 at 11:55 pm: I support this.

Carmelo J. CintrÃ³n Vivas
Student – Rutgers University
446 Michaelle Browers 02.11.14 at 1:02 am: I support this letter.
447 Samuel Farber 02.11.14 at 1:42 am: I support this letter!
448 Samuel Farber 02.11.14 at 1:43 am: I support this letter.
449 Brian Prager 02.11.14 at 3:19 am: Support.
450 Nadine Saliba 02.11.14 at 3:53 am: I support.
451 Dean Mathiowetz 02.11.14 at 4:24 am: I support.

Politics Department
UC Santa Cruz
452 Unsigned 02.11.14 at 7:47 am: I would sign but I prefer anonymity.

Instead I’ll point out that contra what he asserts is ludicrous, what’s truly ludicrous is that he seems completely unaware that you can’t buy Iranian or North Korean products to begin with. Sanctions have effectively put a trading embargo on those countries. Sanctions have also limited scientific exchange with both countries. Hardly surprising then that nobody is organizing a boycott against Iran and NK. It’s a waste of time and effort when Uncle Sam is already doing it far more effectively than they could ever hope to achieve.

In addition to previous objections, isn’t it just a little bit worrying from a free speech point of view that the government makes a law that compels people to say and do stuff? Dare to call for a boycott of Israel? Well, you’ll have to push for a boycott of Iran and North Korea too! And what if somebody argues sanctions should be eased on humanitarian grounds, would that be interpreted as working against a boycott?
453 Jens Hanssen 02.11.14 at 11:07 am: Historian of the Middle east
University of Toronto
454 Alexandra Chasin 02.11.14 at 2:07 pm: In full support.

Lang College, The New School, NY
455 Ruth Wilson Gilmore 02.11.14 at 3:35 pm: Support without reservation. (If my name’s here twice it means I can’t follow simple directions in cyberspace. )
456 Snehal Shingavi 02.11.14 at 4:29 pm: Snehal Shingavi, Assistant Professor, English, University of Texas, Austin
457 Racheli Gai 02.11.14 at 4:33 pm: Fully support this letter.
458 Moustafa Bayoumi 02.11.14 at 4:38 pm: In support.

Brooklyn College, City University of New York
459 Ernest Fuentes 02.11.14 at 5:23 pm: I support this letter. Count me in.
460 Stuart White 02.11.14 at 8:54 pm: I support this letter.

Stuart White, Jesus College, Oxford University.
461 Brittany ChÃ¡vez 02.11.14 at 10:33 pm: UNC-Chapel Hill
462 Gaurav Desai 02.12.14 at 4:03 pm: In support.

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An Open Letter on the Anti-Boycott Bills (Updated)

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