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European Academic Involvement in Occupied Territory

(Chronicle of Higher Education) Eugene Kontorovich - While efforts by academic groups to impose boycotts on Israeli universities have gotten considerable attention, the widespread participation by mainstream universities in collaborations with institutions located in occupied territories has escaped notice. Turkey has established 10 universities and many colleges in Northern Cyprus since seizing one third of the island in 1974. Yet universities in Northern Cyprus have won wide cooperation from institutions and academics elsewhere. Professors from Ariel University in the West Bank were barred from mentioning their professional affiliations as a condition of participating in a conference this fall at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London. Yet SOAS provided a special undergraduate course at the European University of Lefke, established by occupation authorities in Northern Cyprus. Similarly, SOAS has held events with speakers from Turkish universities that have branches in occupied Cyprus. Indeed, British institutions are particularly active in Northern Cyprus because of Britain's history with the island. The writer is a professor at the Northwestern University School of Law.
2014-11-21 00:00:00
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