19/09/2025
The Department of Anthropology at the Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics, University of Iceland, declares its support for the Palestinian people and their struggle for their right to exist against Israeli colonialism and genocide. With this statement, we join academic institutions around the world that support the Palestinian liberation struggle and condemn the genocide, which includes, among other things, the destruction of all universities in Gaza and the persecution of university teachers and students in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Academic institutions in Israel are active participants in, and therefore complicit with, colonialism, land theft, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid policies of the Israeli state. This includes development of weapons and technology for military purposes, as well as the development of military operations and doctrines, methods for maintaining the occupation, efforts to whitewash and justify war crimes of the Israeli government and repression of critical voices within Israeli society. Additionally, academic institutions restrict freedom of expression for students and university staff and systematically discriminate against Palestinian students.
Therefore, we are initiating an academic boycott against Israel. This boycott involves:
A. Severing all ties with Israeli universities and other educational institutions.
B. Not establishing any new ties with Israeli universities and other educational institutions.
By "ties," we refer to all forms of collaboration, such as research and teaching, conferences, workshops, and seminars.
Boycott is a peaceful way to express disapproval of the conduct of the Israeli government and to support the Palestinian people. The anthropology department will boycott academic institutions in Israel and decline cooperation with Israeli institutes and academic staff working for institutions complicit in genocide, until the Israeli government ceases war crimes and apartheid policies and ends the ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.
Reykjavik, Iceland, September 11th, 2025.