Howie Rechavia-Taylor’s lecture is cancelled due to sickness. Instead, the colloquium will talk about “Pasts and Presents of Student Protests: Comparing Southern Africa and Switzerland”.

Since October 2023, students around the world have occupied university campuses in protest against the war in Gaza, military escalation, and gross human rights violations in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. In our colloquium we place these protests and the responses to them within the university, in the media and across various public spheres (politics, international courts, international organisations) in critical comparison with Southern African histories of student protests throughout the 20^th and 21^st centuries. We will discuss examples that include anti-apartheid struggles, the significance of Palestine for Africa focused solidarity groups, the Rhodes Must Fall and Fees Must Fall student movements, and student protests at the University of Basel and other Swiss universities.

This is a hybrid event. Contact for registration and zoom link: julia.rensing@unibas.ch and makawa@unam.na

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