[haw-info] HAW Notes 8/20/14: petitions and statements; Vietnam commemoration

Some notes:

1. Thanks in large part to members of this email list who have helped to spread the word of the Historians Letter on the Gaza crisis, the number of signatures is now close to 1,500. The text of the letter and the list of signatories to date are here on the HAW website, along with the form for signing on.

2. In response to the withdrawal of a promised appointment of Steven Salaita to a faculty position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, several academic petititons are circulating in which the signers pledge to boycott UIUC until the offer to Prof. Salaita is renewed. Corey Robin of Brooklyn College has been posting updates on the petitions on his blog. An article in Inside Higher Education gives background (and leads to other articles), and the AAUP has a statement on its website criticizing the university's action.

3. A statement has circulated among scholars and librarians in Middle East Studies calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in response to the Gaza crisis. A partial list of the signatories, with their affiliations, is on the Jadilayya website.

4. On a different topic, the Veterans for Peace project entitled "Full Disclosure: Toward and Honest Commemoration of the American War in Vietnam" has updated its website, including a highly detailed timeline through 1965. Organizers point out that next year will mark the fiftieth anniversary of major landmarks in the war's escalation as well as resistance, such as the teach-in movement. They hope to stimulate local observances around the country.