Academics, Authors & Public Intellectuals
Every entry documents dated, sourced public conduct. The factual record and Galil's opinion are presented separately. Click any name for the full record. See the Ledger standard.
Academics, authors, and public intellectuals with documented boycott activity or public conduct within the Ledger's scope.
On the record
- Sally Rooney — In 2021 Rooney declined a translation deal with Israeli publisher Modan while keeping Hebrew rights available through a BDS-compliant publisher; in 2026 she arranged a Hebrew edition with Israel-based November Books.
- Norman Finkelstein — (political scientist) — publicly argues Israel is committing genocide.
- Noura Erakat — (professor, Rutgers) — a longtime organizer of the boycott movement.
- Judith Butler — (philosopher) — a public endorser of the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
- Angela Davis — (activist / academic) — a public endorser of the academic and cultural boycott of Israel.
- Achille Mbembe — (academic) — In his foreword ("On Palestine," pp. vii-viii) to the 2015 essay collection Apartheid Israel: The Politics of an Analogy (eds. Jon Soske & Sean Jacobs…
- Rashid Khalidi — (academic) — In a Nov 29, 2024 Al Jazeera "UpFront" interview, Columbia University historian Rashid Khalidi (Edward Said Professor Emeritus of Modern Arab Studies)…
Explicit public conduct
- Alice Walker — In a poem on her website, Walker described the Talmud as poison and repeated claims about Jews and non-Jews; she disputes that her work is antisemitic.
- Hatem Bazian — (academic) — On July 31, 2017, Hatem Bazian — a UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies lecturer, co-founder of Students for Justice in Palestine, and prominent campus BDS advocate…
- Jasbir Puar — (academic) — In a February 3, 2016 lecture at Vassar College, Rutgers University professor Jasbir Puar charged the IDF with "organ harvesting, deliberate maiming, and…
- Kevin MacDonald — (academic) — In 1998, tenured CSU Long Beach psychology professor Kevin MacDonald published "The Culture of Critique: An Evolutionary Analysis of Jewish Involvement in…
- Israel Shamir — (academic) — On or about March 30, 2001 (reported by The Tufts Daily on March 31, 2001), author/journalist Israel Shamir, speaking at Tufts University during the Arab…
BDS endorsements
- Naomi Klein — Klein publicly urged a boycott strategy in 2009 and renewed her case for BDS in 2024.
- Cornel West — West endorsed BDS and publicly supported divestment campaigns while expressly distinguishing his position from anti-Jewish prejudice.
BDS endorsement
- Ilan Pappé — (academic) — On May 24, 2005, Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, then a tenured University of Haifa professor, published a Guardian op-ed titled "Back the boycott," urging…
- Steven Salaita — (academic) — In a December 15, 2013 Mondoweiss essay, American Indian studies scholar Steven Salaita wrote that the academic boycott of Israel 'isn't about "the Jews"'…
- Vijay Prashad — (academic) — Historian Vijay Prashad, an advisory board member of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI), published a Washington Post…
Boycott action
- Viet Thanh Nguyen — (academic) — On October 28, 2024, USC professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen publicly stated he told his Israeli publisher he would not approve…
Where Galil stands
Our opinion: Galil opposes academic and publishing boycotts of Israel. Each entry identifies the public act without claiming knowledge of private belief.
Ledger systematically reviewed 2026-07-27; entries last updated through 2026-07-27. Anything labeled “our opinion” is opinion. Corrections are added to the record.