As a PhD I was told that my work wanders too far, beyond the disciplinary boundaries. Now, as I apply for grants, my proposed projects are rejected because they fall between (disciplinary) chairs. I’m tired of this authoritarian, disciplinary gatekeeping. Just want to give up!
So harassment for my
@AJEnglish
has reached another level. Someone emailed me and cc’d 35 colleagues from my university accusing me of anti-semitism. What to do?
I have pulled out of my book talk at
@QMUL
in solidarity with all those participating in the
@ucu
led strike. In my email (see below) to the university I have also expressed my concerns regarding
@QMUL
's treatment of staff who plan to participate in the strike ✊🏾
@qm_ucu
@qmul_cs
unfortunately my book talk at the
@UofGlasgow
is under scrutiny due concerns expressed by the uni’s Jewish Society. Here is a letter from
@OfficialBrismes
expressing concern regarding this matter and the university’s adoption of the IHRA definition
🧵 1/7 I HAVE OFFICIALLY PULLED OUT OF MY BOOK TALK. Responding to
@OfficialBrismes
latest letter,
@UofGlasgow
said it doesn’t believe its actions have been discriminatory or in violation of my academic freedom. Though, they are sorry that I feel like I have been badly treated.
UPDATE:
@UofGlasgow
handling of my book talk has been abysmal. I was told i can deliver my talk proviso I don’t violate UK anti-terror law/IHRA def. Here is a letter from
@OfficialBrismes
noting the uni’s intervention has been defamatory and discriminatory. We demand an apology!
UPDATE:
@UofGlasgow
handling of my book talk has been abysmal. I was told i can deliver my talk proviso I don’t violate UK anti-terror law/IHRA def. Here is a letter from
@OfficialBrismes
noting the uni’s intervention has been defamatory and discriminatory. We demand an apology!
unfortunately my book talk at the
@UofGlasgow
is under scrutiny due concerns expressed by the uni’s Jewish Society. Here is a letter from
@OfficialBrismes
expressing concern regarding this matter and the university’s adoption of the IHRA definition
Oh boy. This article is finally published. It took years and several twists and turns to get this out. Let me know if you don't have access. Happy to send a copy. Big thank you to the editors at
@JournalPolitics
for their support throughout the process.
Wrote this on the silencing of Kashmir
@jacobin
Was triggered to write this after a mean-spirited review of
@azadessa
stellar book "Hostile Homelands" (link below). Also, was inspired (again!) by
@AyyashMark
& his article "The Toxic Other" (link below)
Wow. 7 years ago I received a copy of my dissertation. I felt so insecure and scared at the time about my future in academia. Didn’t think I’d ever find a home. All love ❤️ and solidarity ✊🏾 to PhDs, Postdocs and Assistant Profs grinding it out right now.
Yaaas! My piece in the
@SecDialogue
forum on race and racism is out. I focus on the classroom and reflect on pedagogical and curricular strategies for teaching race and racism to IR students. Also check out the rest of the amazing pieces in this forum.
In my latest for
@AJEnglish
I argue that Israeli universities are more than just institutions of higher learning. They are complicit in the affairs of the Israeli apartheid state. A special thank you to
@AyyashMark
for his valuable feedback.
#AJOpinion
"I found that Israeli universities systematically discriminate against Palestinian students and communities, engage with the Israeli military industrial complex and fully support the state’s apartheid policies."
— writes
@ssen03
for
#AJOpinion
⤵️
1/7 What's happening in Leicester is heartbreaking but not surprising. Indian expat community has a Hindutva problem. The only thing that's different is that this subsection is now confident enough to take the street. Beware, this is not just a UK problem 🧵
Dear old and new followers. Thanks for all your support. Considering the (all but expected) hate I have received on this platform this week, I have decided to lock my account for the time being. I don’t however intend to stop writing or speaking out ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
5/7 solidarity to students and academics in Glasgow, across the UK and the world fighting IHRA. Read this insightful piece by Palestinian Australian students expressing their concerns regarding IHRA. They specifically cite
@UofGlasgow
handling of my talk:
3/7 I am sad to lose this opportunity to engage with students and faculty at
@UofGlasgow
But what worries me even more is the shrinking space for academic freedom when it comes to a critical scholarly engagement with the politics of Israel-Palestine in Glasgow & across the UK
Very excited that my essay “Race, Racism and the Teaching of International Relations” is out now in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies.
I’m crying !!!! “Violent Infrastructure, Nationalist Stigmatization and Spatial Erasure” is accepted in
@JournalPolitics
🎉🎊🍾🥳 Looking forward to finalizing the piece. Big thank you to the editors who supported me through multiple delays - illnesses, kid stuff etc.
6/7 a big thank you to
@OfficialBrismes
@europeanisa
and, all those who have reached out, for the support. BRISMES and I are working on an alternative book talk where we will also address the broader issues of academic freedom at stake here. more info soon!
4/7
@UofGlasgow
reminded me that I shouldn’t violate UK anti-terror laws during my BOOK TALK (!!!) But, the handling of my talk is more indicative of the effects of the adoption of the IHRA definition in concert with the uni’s draconian “protocol for managing speakers and events”
“Experts” have now turned their focus on how bad Hamas is and forgotten the chain of events that brought us here. remember Al Aqsa, remember Sheikh Jarrah, remember Gaza, remember the Naksa, remember the Nakba.
I hate it when I’m caught off guard as something blatantly racist is said in front of me. I don’t react in time and I obsess over it for days. Happened to me recently at a meeting. I will be thinking about it all through November 🤦🏾🤦🏾🤦🏾🤦🏾
In my latest for
@ForeignPolicy
I argue that Israel’s leaders have always shown contempt for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip because their past—and ongoing presence—pose a direct challenge to Israel’s founding myth.
Finally, I get to talk about my book 🙂 A big thank you to
@OfficialBrismes
@europeanisa
and
@BisaCpd
for organizing this and for all the support. See you all on the 17th 🍉 🍉 🍉
📢
#OnlineEvent
| "Decolonizing Palestine: Hamas between the Anticolonial and the Postcolonial".
BRISMES together with
@europeanisa
and
@BisaCpd
are delighted to host Dr Somdeep Sen for this event.
📅17 Nov 2021
⏲️18:00 (GMT)
More info and registration:
In my latest piece for
@AJEnglish
I argue that the Oslo Accords and the PA were purpose-built to undermine the 🇵🇸 struggle, protect the occupation and transform the Palestinian revolutionary into a bureaucrat. Of course with $€£ from donors
thanks everyone for the support. what’s happening with my book talk is only a primer for what’s happening in general at the
@UofGlasgow
after the adoption of the IHRA definition. Plz extend your support to students and academics at the uni fighting IHRA everyday on campus.
unfortunately my book talk at the
@UofGlasgow
is under scrutiny due concerns expressed by the uni’s Jewish Society. Here is a letter from
@OfficialBrismes
expressing concern regarding this matter and the university’s adoption of the IHRA definition
This was a post about my first publication as a PhD student back in 2014. It was an extremely insecure period in my life, being made to feel that I didn’t belong in academia. So, this chapter was immensely meaningful. Be nice to PhDs and postdocs ya’ll ❤️❤️❤️
2/7 I’m not surprised they have delivered the classic non-apology. Nonetheless, alarmed by the way they completely ignored the substantial concerns laid out in the 3-page letter from
@OfficialBrismes
with 8 lines that say “we don’t believe we did anything wrong”
Well Middle East Forum and Campus Watch has now launched an attack on me following my presentation at
@BrownCMES
. Would appreciate a week off from this stupidity.
I’m about to lose my mind. My book “Decolonizing Palestine” is set to be translated into Italian. Out in 18 months. Whaaaaaaa 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 Big thank you to
@CornellPress
@jimlance554
and Tonya Cook Cornell’s subsidiary rights manager for making this happen.
What a journey this has been. Author copies are finally here. A big thank you to
@jimlance554
and
@CornellPress
for having faith in the project. Let me know if you need a review copy!
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
@isanet
for this statement of support following attempts to censor my talk at
@UofGlasgow
. I had no idea that this was in the works. Very grateful. We need to continue the fight against such attempts to undermine academic freedom.
After 3 unsuccessful grant application rounds - despite receiving stellar external reviews - I'm finally letting go of a project that important to me. It's 3 years+ of hard work that feels like has gone nowhere . It's sad, heartbreaking and tough to let go
#AcademicHeartbreak
She’s fallen asleep in the emergency room, as we wait to hear whether she has fractured her wrist. Despite the pain, she aced stretching her arm out for the x-ray. So proud of this little person ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I became a Danish citizen without much celebration during the pandemic. So, it’s nice to get this note from the
@folketinget
congratulating me and an invitation to “Statsborgerskabsdag 2022” (“Citizenship Day 2022”) 🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰🎉🥳🎊🍾
🙏🏾 🙏🏾 🙏🏾
@europeanisa
for this letter. There is a lot at stake here, not just for students and academics at
@UofGlasgow
but also the wider university landscape in the UK.
EISA is concerned about the violations of academic freedom at
@UofGlasgow
against Dr Somdeep Sen (
@ssen03
). Our Governing Board has released the following statement to amplify the concerns and issues raised by our colleagues at
@OfficialBrismes
:
Dealing with rejection is part of academia. However, getting the jitters as I prep for a third shot at a grant with a project on vertical urbanism and inequality. Wish me luck 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾
Cover image of my book is finally here. Thanks to
@jimlance554
and the entire team at
@CornellPress
for all the support. Official publication date: December 15th!
The bullying doesn’t end. Here is the message I received from Mark Ira Kaufman who blogs for Times of Israel. Bro, just blog your concerns, why send me a private message?!?!
A few words from me for
#AJOpinion
@AJEnglish
on how the “call for nuance” is being weaponized to obfuscate a history of occupation and apartheid. Again, indebted to the work of
@AyyashMohannad
for helping me make sense of this repressive climate.
So excited to serve on
@OfficialBrismes
Committee on Academic Freedom. Looking forward to working with the committee, led by
@nevegordon
to defend academic freedom in the research, study and teaching of Middle East Studies.
The amazing
@jennykellyedu
‘s amazing new book “Invited to Witness”
@DukePress
is officially set to be publish in January. Congrats Jenny. This is huuuge!
A week ago I had to renounce my Indian citizenship after I became a Danish citizen (India doesn’t allow dual citizenship). I said to our 4 year old that I was a bit sad. So he colored in this Indian flag and said that I can just look at it when I miss India ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
I am so excited to see this available for preorder. I had the honor of endorsing this volume edited by two intellectual heavyweights (Ahmad H. Sa'di & Nur Masalha) focused on the life and works of another inspirational intellectual voice (Elia Zureik)
Thank you for this 🧵
@DoertheRosenow
. I have been thinking about what it says about us watching, that the genocide is televised and there is no dearth of information about what is going on. We can’t say “we didn’t know”. Maybe the truth is “we didn’t care”.
I’ve reflected a lot on the German “never again” lately. When I was a child I remember asking my grandma how they could let the genocide happen. Her answer: “We just didn’t know”. She said while in her home town the Jewish people were deported, right in front of them. /1
1/3 My article "The colonial roots of counter-insurgencies in International Politics" in
@IAJournal_CH
is out now. Empirically, it argues that colonial counterinsurgency logics inform the EU's state building as peacebuilding efforts in Palestine.
Thanks everyone for your support. I’m definitely a bit shaken - seeing as this individual has proceeded to emailing everyone on my university’s mailing list. But your kind words and advice go a long way. ✊🏽✊🏽✊🏽
Big thank you to
@lunduniversity
for allowing me to talk “Decolonizing Palestine”. I’ve only presented this book once or twice in Scandinavia. So very grateful for this opportunity to cross the border to 🇸🇪🇸🇪
Tomorrow my parents have the interview for their Danish visa app. They are hoping to see their grandchildren (and meet their granddaughter for the first time since she was born during the pandemic). Hope the embassy sees this to be a ‘worthy reason’ for visiting 🇩🇰
Indeed. When it comes to Palestinians, there is no right wing, left wing or centrist in Israeli politics. It’s all settler colonial and premised on the assumption of Palestinian non-existence.
Israeli political parties are completely polarised. Except when it comes to Palestinians. Across the political spectrum there is general consensus on"out of sight, out of mind". For some, "out of sight" means behind high walls & imprisoned, for others it means total erasure.
1/7 Surprised? Don’t be. As with most universities in Israel, Hebrew University has long been an active participant in Israeli militarism and settler colonialism
🙏🏾
@BisaCpd
I have now seen a couple of pieces in the UK that frame this as a disagreement between me and the
@UofGlasgow
w/o recognizing the wider efforts to silence critical scholars of Palestine/Israel. This statement is a great reminder of the issues at play.
Please see below our statement of solidarity with our colleague, Dr. Somdeep Sen, in response to his treatment by the University of Glasgow and its use of the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism, as a way to silence his work and that of other critical scholars of Palestine/Israel.
So excited to announce this project with
@LilaSharif5
and
@jennykellyedu
We are looking for contributions for “Detours: A Decolonial Guide to Palestine” that we are co-editing. Please consider submitting and do spread the word. For more info check out:
Wasn’t sure this was going to happen. But here we are. About to board my flight to New York to start up my visiting gig at
@ARCCUNY
. And, on the way it only makes sense to read this gem by
@yarahawari
🤓🤓📖👓
Just signed the agreement to write a review piece on various scholarly efforts to decolonize IR for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. Looking forward to the months of stress and anxiety about reading and citing all the relevant works on the topic 🤪🤪🤪
I’ll say it. I have a paper on a Fanonian conception of Gaza. The argument is underdone and I’m nervous for my panel tomorrow
#ISA2022
. Nonetheless, looking forward to folks being nice and giving me some good feedback 🤪
Really thankful to
@novaramedia
and
@RivkahBrown
for this opportunity write about the shameful attack on
@Lowkey0nline
and the importance of protest music to the Palestinian liberation struggle!
Countdown to seeing my parents after almost two years has begun. We expect them to land on Sunday. Hoping nothing goes wrong with test certificates, vaccination documentation etc. Praying 🙏🏾 🙏🏾 🙏🏾
Dropped him off for his first day at school. Tried to hold back tears when saying goodbye - and failed. Seeing me getting emotional, he gave me a fake pout, waved and walked away. Feels like a new phase in our lives.
#ISA2023
@isanet
done and dusted. I’m now ready to just be back in Copenhagen and spend time with the family. It’s been wonderful to see old friends, meet zoom friends in person and make new friends. See you next year
#ISA2024
!
On my to
@roskildeuni
to welcome 78 new GDS students. As Head of Studies of the program it is a big day for me. It was a long and arduous process to get it up and running. But we did it! Here’s to our first cohort of students having a fantastic 2 yrs as GDS students.
There have been a few reactions to my piece - both on this platform and via email. Accusation is I’m ✅leftist ✅ Bengali & ❌Islamist. For them, here’s another tidbit that you may find interesting: India was
#2
in terms of likelihood of mass killing:
"Hindu nationalism cannot be ignored any more as a domestic, Indian issue...it is now a threat to democratic principles, equality and human rights everywhere. India under Modi will not address it. The world must."
—
#AJOpinion
by
@ssen03
⤵️
✈️ ✈️ ✈️ off again, this time for my book talk
@ceu
. Sleep deprived after a fun Halloween party for the kids yesterday. Nonetheless looking forward to Vienna. Not in town? Not to worry. You can watch me talk about Decolonizing Palestine online:
Last week I resigned my post at QMUL. Although the sector as a whole is becoming inhospitable & I loved my students & colleagues, QMUL managerial decisions made staying untenable. For me the last straw was the cruel, craven call by management for students to snitch on us.
A warm welcome to
@ssen03
, one of the new
#csosjournal
Associate Editors!
Somdeep is an Associate Prof in International Development Studies at
@roskildeuni
& Head of Studies for Global & Development Studies. 1/2
Running an MA program is tough and it can’t be done without the help of our wonderful admin staff at
@roskildeuni
. Here we are celebrating a successful start to the semester 🥳🎊👏🏾🎉🍾🥂
THAT article needs to be taken down. It’s not just BAD methods. It’s PEDOPHILIA. But funny to see quant poli sci scholars going “finally we can openly criticize qualitative methods”. Surely, you don’t need/haven’t ever needed pedophilia to bully qualitative researchers 😂😂😂😂😂
😂😂😂 Danes condemning all the racism faced by 🏴 players. Will I see you also standing up for your POC colleagues when they face racism in their everyday life and/or workplace in Denmark. Or is it just Danish humor then? Or do we need to keep the office conflict-free?