Panel Discussion (McGill University) - Zionism in Academia
Channel: mohsenalattar1
Date: 2013-09-10

As part of McGill's Israeli Apartheid Week (2013), I participated in a panel discussion entitled 'Zionism in Academia.' The title chosen by the organizers was provocative, deliberately so I suspect. 

To what extent does academia in North America privilege Zionist discourse, either implicitly or explicitly? To what extent does this privileging render the study, analysis or even discussion of Palestine controversial? 

To begin to reflect on these two questions, it is important - I would say imperative - to consider another: what is Zionism? In the following talk, I unpack the meaning of Zionism both historically and contemporaneously. I also consider the place of Zionism as political ideology in academia more broadly.

A follow-up interview was conducted by CKUT and is available at: http://www.mixcloud.com/UnderTheOliveTree/uot-june06-2013-zionism-in-academia-guest-mohsel-al-attar/