10/14/2026
On October 29, the Mellon Sawyer Seminar, "Academic Freedom from Below: On Politics, Protest, & the Social Role of the University" kicks off a year of events with a talk by Dr. Karim Mattar. The talk, "Palestine and the People's University," addresses American higher education at the moment of scholasticide, and asks: What might a liberated university look like? The talk is open to UC Davis students, faculty, and staff. This year's Mellon Sawyar Seminar is convened by Dr. Rana Jaleel and Dr. Stacy Fahrenthold. You can learn more about our events and ongoing projects at www.afbelow.com.
When: October 29, 2026, 4pm-6pm
Where: Hart Hall 3201
Abstract: American higher education is invested in the Israeli state project of genocide and scholasticide in Palestine, in multiple ways. Our responsibility is therefore specific: confronting and redressing the complicity of the institutions in which we are employed in human suffering on a mass scale. Karim Mattar considers forms of institutional complicity in the American university. Focusing on the "speech-action" contradiction during the Gaza solidarity encampments, Mattar addresses how universities have fallen far short of their stated missions and responsibilities to society in responding to the encampments. While every fight on every campus is necessary, meeting the demands of this moment requires coordination, collaboration, and community on a national scale.
