
Protest at murder of Giulio Regeni. Press Association/AP/Amr Nabil. All rights reserved.The call below was launched on 24 February by a number of academics based in the UK. It has been signed by over 200 university teachers from all over the world.
The undersigned are university teachers concerned over recent events that point to a serious reversal of gains in democracy and academic freedom achieved over the last decades in many countries.
Three cases have been most prominent in that regard since the beginning of 2016: the crackdown by Turkish authorities on the more than 1200 signatories in Turkey of the petition by “Academics for Peace” criticizing the anti-Kurdish war drive launched by the Turkish government; the crackdown by Indian authorities on students involved in a non-violent campus protest against the death penalty at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Hyderabad University, and an attempt to shoot and kill a professor by groups affiliated to the ruling party; and the savage torture and assassination in Cairo of Italian research student Giulio Regeni.
When they are not tacitly approving it, governments of countries where academic freedoms are better respected and which include most global powers have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to calls on them to protest against this repression. The worst attitude has been displayed in Italy where the government kept stressing the importance of its economic ties with Egypt while a gutter press accused Giulio Regeni’s supervisors of letting him gather dangerous information, thus resorting to an old worn-out paranoid argument of all dictatorships and tacitly making the student himself responsible for his own atrocious death.
Academic freedoms are a key indicator of the overall status of political freedom and democracy. The acceleration of privatisation across the public higher education system is undermining these freedoms on a global scale. The events described above point to a much deeper and sweeping onslaught on democratic freedoms, which must be halted immediately lest it leads to increasingly tragic events and a most nefarious consolidation and extension of the authoritarian turn in global politics.
We call on the global community of teachers and students to join us in protesting against this most dangerous trend by signing, translating and circulating this statement, and organizing protest meetings in all universities.
List of signatories (by title, and alphabetical order of last name)
Prof.
Gilbert
Achcar
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Prof.
Nadje
Al-Ali
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Prof.
Aziz
Al-Azmeh
Central European University
Budapest
Hungary
Prof.
Peter
Alexander
University of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
South Africa
Prof.
Kevin
Anderson
University of California
Santa Barbara
USA
Prof.
Gil
Anidjar
Columbia University
New York
USA
Prof.
Joel
Beinin
Stanford University
Stanford
USA
Prof.
Joseph
Boyd-Barrett
Bowling Green State University
Ojai
USA
Prof.
Renate
Bridenthal
Brooklyn College, CUNY
New York
USA
Prof.
Ray
Bush
University of Leeds
Leeds
UK
Prof.
Edouard
Bustin
Boston University
Boston
USA
Prof.
Claude
Calame
EHESS
Paris
France
Prof.
Noam
Chomsky
MIT
Cambridge
USA
Prof.
Mohan
Dutta
National University of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore
Prof.
Susan
Feiner
University of Southern Maine
Portland
USA
Prof.
Nigel
Gibson
Emerson College
Boston
USA
Prof.
Alan
Gilbert
University of Denver
Denver
US
Prof.
Neve
Gordon
Ben-Gurion University
Beer-Sheva
Israel
Prof.
Sari
Hanafi
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Prof.
Jens
Hanssen
University of Toronto
Toronto
Canada
Prof.
John
Hartmann
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb
USA
Prof.
Konrad
Hirschler
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Prof.
Peter
Jackson
Australian National University
Canberra
Australia
Prof.
Haider
Khan
JKSIS, University of Denver
Denver
USA
Prof.
Farida
Khan
University of Wisconsin
Kenosha
USA
Prof.
Mary
King
Portland State University
Portland
USA
Prof.
David
Lelyveld
William Paterson University
Wayne, NJ
USA
Prof.
Zachary
Lockman
New York University
New York
USA
Prof.
Ania
Loomba
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
USA
Prof.
Moshé
Machover
King’s College London
London
UK
Prof.
Clea
McNeely
University of Tennessee
Knoxville
USA
Prof.
Gerald
Meyer
Hostos Community College, CUNY
New York
USA
Prof.
Mark C.
Miller
New York University
New York
USA
Prof.
Haideh
Moghissi
York University
Toronto
Canada
Prof.
Deborah
Mutnick
Long Island University
Brooklyn
U.S.
Prof.
Ved
Nanda
University of Denver
Denver
USA
Prof.
Ravi
Palat
State University of New York
Binghamton
USA
Prof..
Teoman
Pamukçu
Middle East Technical university
Ankara
Turkey
Prof.
Jaime
Pastor
UNED
Madrid
Spain
Prof.
Charles
Post
CUNY, Graduate Center
New York
USA
Prof.
Mohan
Rao
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi
India
Prof.
William
Robinson
University of California
Santa Barbara
USA
Prof.
Stephen
Roddy
University of San Francisco
San Francisco
USA
Prof.
Andrew
Ross
New York University
New York
USA
Prof.
Alfredo
Saad Filho
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Prof.
Oscar
Salemink
University of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Denmark
Prof.
Pritam
Singh
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford
UK
Prof.
Annabelle
Sreberny
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Prof.
Nicola
Tannenbaum
Lehigh University
Bethlehem
USA
Prof.
Alan
Wald
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor
USA
Prof.
David
Wilmsen
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Prof.
Howard
Winant
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara
USA
Prof.
Bronwyn
Winter
University of Sydney
Sydney
Australia
Prof.
Idoye
Zabala
UPV/EHU
Bilbao
Spain
Dr.
Sadia
Abbas
Rutgers University
Newark
USA
Dr.
Maha
Abdelrahman
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
UK
Dr.
Brian
Aboud
Vanier College
Montreal
Canada
Dr.
Bashir
Abu-Manneh
University of Kent
Canterbury
Britain
Dr.
Shrinkhla
Agrawal
Columbia memorial hospital
Hudson
USA
Dr.
Anne
Alexander
University of Cambridge
Cambridge
UK
Dr.
Richard
Alexander
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Hanife
Aliefendioğlu
Eastern Mediterranean University
Famagusta
N. Cyprus
Dr.
Ayten
Alkan
Istanbul University
Istanbul
Turkey
Dr.
Diana
Allan
McGill University
Montreal
Canada
Dr.
Daniele
Amoroso
Università di Napoli Federico II
Naples
Italy
Dr.
Math
Antoine
IRES
Paris
France
Dr.
Kiran
Asher
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Dr.
Johny
Augustine
St. Ambrose University
Davenport
USA
Dr.
Abdulsemet
Aydeniz
Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi
Van
Turkey
Dr.
Pierre
Beaudet
University of Ottawa
Ottawa
Canada
Dr.
Gareth
Bentley
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Raffaella
Bianchi
University of Westminster
London
UK
Dr.
Swati
Birla
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Dr.
Giuseppe
Bolotta
National University of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore
Dr.
Ibrahim
Bor
Mardin Artuklu University
Mardin
Turkey
Dr.
Shannon
Brincat
Griffith University
Jindalee
Australia
Dr.
Heidi
Brooks
University of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
South Africa
Dr.
Terry
Burnsed
Metropolitan State University
Denver
USA
Dr.
Ananya
Chakravarti
Georgetown University
Washington
USA
Dr.
Aditi
Chandra
University of California
Merced
USA
Dr.
Secil
Dagtas
University of Waterloo
Waterloo
Canada
Dr.
Joseph
Daher
University of Lausanne
Lausanne
Switzerland
Dr.
Russell
Dale
Lehman College, CUNY
New York
USA
Dr.
Rajarshi
Dasgupta
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi
India
Dr.
Sheila
Delany
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby
Canada
Dr.
Shruti
Devgan
Rutgers University
New Brunswick
USA
Dr.
James
Eastwood
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Taylor
Easum
University of Wisconsin
Stevens Point
USA
Dr.
Rabab
El-Mahdi
American University in Cairo
Cairo
Egypt
Dr.
May
Farah
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Krzysztof
Fleszar
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Barbara
Foley
Rutgers University
Newark
USA
Dr.
Samuel
Friedman
NDRI
New York
USA
Dr.
Mneesha
Gellman
Emerson College
Boston
USA
Dr.
Lia
Genovese
Thammasat University
Bangkok
Thailand
Dr.
Arthur
Gilbert
University of Denver
Denver
USA
Dr.
Sherna
Gluck
California State University
Long Beach
USA
Dr.
Bettina
Gräf
Freie Universität Berlin
Berlin
Germany
Dr.
Laura
Hammond
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Vanja
Hamzic
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Rachel
Harrison
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Amir
Hassanpour
University of Toronto
Toronto
Canada
Dr.
Holly
High
University of Sydney
Sydney
Australia
Dr.
Katarina
Katz
Karlstad University
Karlstad
Sweden
Dr.
Janroj Y.
Keles
Middlesex University
London
UK
Dr.
Arang
Keshavarzian
New York University
New York
USA
Dr.
Alexandra
Kleinlercher
University of Surrey
Guildford
UK
Dr.
Jeanne
Koopman
Boston University
Boston
USA
Dr.
Deepa
Kumar
Rutgers University
New Brunswick
USA
Dr.
Lars Peter
Laamann
SOAS, University of London
London
England
Dr.
David
Laibman
City University of New York
Brooklyn
USA
Dr.
Paul
Lavy
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu
USA
Dr.
Jens
Lerche
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Laura
Lomas
Rutgers University
Newark
USA
Dr.
Rima
Majed
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Thomas
Marois
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Giuliano
Martiniello
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Rania
Masri
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Tariq
Mehmood
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Minakshi
Menon
Max Planck Institute
Berlin
Germany
Dr.
Alessandra
Mezzadri
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Sanjay K.
Misra
Dept of English, R.B.S. College
Agra
India
Dr.
Shayoni
Mitra
Barnard College, Columbia Univ.
New York
USA
Dr.
Prabhu
Mohapatra
University of Delhi
Delhi
India
Dr.
Lorenza
Monaco
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Tracy
Mott
University of Denver
Denver
USA
Dr.
Yasser
Munif
Emerson College
Boston
USA
Dr.
Cinzia
Nachira
Università del Salento
Lecce
Italy
Dr.
Usha
Natarajan
American University in Cairo
Cairo
Egypt
Dr.
Kerem
Nisancioglu
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Manzoor
Nowshari
Kinderwunschzentrum
Potsdam
Germany
Dr.
Francis
O'Connor
COSMOS SNS
Florence
Italy
Dr.
Cem
Ozatalay
Galatasaray University
Istanbul
Turkey
Eng.
Ajit
Patil
Walchand College of Engineering
Mumbai
India
Dr.
Nicola
Perugini
Brown University
Providence
USA
Dr.
Nicole
Phelouzat
EHESS
Paris
France
Dr.
Tim
Pringle
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Navtej
Purewal
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Mathieu
Quet
IRD
Paris
France
Dr.
Nandagopal
R. Menon
University of Göttingen
Göttingen
Germany
Dr.
Saeed
Rahnema
York University
Toronto
Canada
Dr.
Manjeet
Ramgotra
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Rahul
Rao
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Catherine
Rottenberg
Ben-Gurion University
Beer Sheva
Israel
Dr.
Sara
Roy
Harvard University
Cambridge
USA
Dr.
Rim
Saab
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Hanan
Sabea
American University in Cairo
Cairo
Egypt
Dr.
Catherine
Samary
Université Paris Dauphine
Paris
France
Dr.
Sermin
Sarica
Istanbul University
Istanbul
Turkey
Dr.
Amrita
Shodhan
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Salma
Siddique
Freie University
Berlin
Germany
Dr.
Subir
Sinha
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Semra
Somersan
Resigned
Istanbul
Turkey
Dr.
Priyanka
Srivastava
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Dr.
Justin
Stearns
New York University Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
UAE
Dr.
Nikos
Stravelakis
National Kapodistrian Univ. of Athens
Athens
Greece
Dr.
Kiven
Strohm
American University in Cairo
Cairo
Egypt
Dr.
Sanjukta
Sunderason
Leiden University
Leiden
Netherlands
Dr.
Ted
Swedenburg
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville
USA
Dr.
Helga
Tawil-Souri
New York University
New York
USA
Dr.
Shabnum
Tejani
SOAS University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Hasan
Tekgüç
Kadir Has University
Istanbul
Turkey
Dr.
Andrea
Teti
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
UK
Dr.
Damian
Tobin
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Elisa
V. Waeyenberge
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Rashmi
Varma
University of Warwick
Warwick
UK
Dr.
Leandro
Vergara-Camus
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Ramya
Vijaya
Stockton University
Galloway, NJ
USA
Dr.
Adam
Waterman
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Dr.
Vijay K.
Yadavendu
Magadh University
Nalanda
India
Dr.
Veli
Yadirgi
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Dr.
Yavuz
Yasar
University of Denver
Denver
USA
Dr.
Bilge
Yesil
CUNY, College of Staten Island
New York
USA
Dr.
Hela
Yousfi
Université Paris Dauphine
Paris
France
Dr.
Sami
Zemni
Ghent University
Ghent
Belgium
Dr.
Cosimo
Zene
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Mitul
Baruah
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
USA
Ms.
Uma
Chandru
WSS
Bangalore
India
Mr.
Mahendran
Chokkalingam
Central European University
Budapest
Hungary
Ms.
Aditi
Deshpande
Indian Institute of Trop. Meteorology
Pune
India
Ms.
Devika
Dutt
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Ms.
Dina
El-Sharnouby
BGSMCS
Berlin
Germany
Ms.
Mary
Ferguson
NYC Dept. Of Education
NYC
USA
Ms.
Mei Lan
Frame
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Mr.
John
Green
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Baris
Guven
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Mr.
Jyoti
Iyer
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Mr.
Orkide
Izci
University of Padua
Padua
Italy
Mr.
Anirban
Karak
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Mr.
Rami
Khouri
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Mr.
Abdul
Kidwai
University of Massachusetts
Amherst
USA
Ms.
Farah
Kobaissy
American University of Beirut
Beirut
Lebanon
Mr.
Marco
Mogiani
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Kazhal
Mohammadi
York University
Toronto
Canada
Mr.
Piyawit
Moonkham
Washington State University
Pullman
USA
Ms.
Pritika
Nehra
I.I.T
Delhi
India
Ms.
Fiorella
Picchioni
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Sameena
Sameena
University of British Columbia
Vancouver
Canada
Mr.
Thomas
Schad
Humboldt Universität/BGSMCS
Berlin
Germany
Mr.
Jayprakash
Sharma
Delhi University
New Delhi
India
Ms.
Smriti
Singh
JNU
New Delhi
India
Ms.
Kanika
Singh
Ashoka University
Delhi
India
Mr.
Amitesh
Singhal
School of Creative Business
New Delhi
India
Ms.
Shreya
Sinha
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Ms.
Shreya
Sinha
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Oishik
Sircar
Melbourne Law School
Melbourne
Australia
Mr.
Durgesh
Solanki
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Mumbai
India
Ms.
Aarthi
Sridhar
University of Amsterdam
New Delhi
India
Ms.
Noli
Tirkey
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Mumbai
India
Ms.
Ezgi
Unsal
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Kartik
Verma
University of Utah
Salt Lake City
USA
Mr.
David
Wearing
SOAS, University of London
London
UK
Mr.
Adrian
Wilson
London School of Economics
London
UK
Mr.
Emrah
Yildiz
Harvard University
Cambridge
USA
Ms.
Katrina
Yoshida
University of Denver
Denver
USA
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