Episode 07: BDS & the Moral Narratives of Colonization

In Episode 7 we explore how the media discusses the issue of BDS and the broader topic of Palestinian liberation.

What are the stakes? Who are the smear artists? What are the similarities with past apartheid boycotts? We discusses these topics and more using a 1989 pro-apartheid Christian Science Monitor op-ed as our guide.

NYT’s BDS Debate Excludes BDS Proponents

Adam Johnson | April 6, 2017 | FAIR

Defending Apartheid: Then in South Africa, Now in Palestine

Nima Shirazi | August 30, 2014 | Wide Asleep in America

On 50th Anniversary of Israeli Occupation, Palestinian Opinions Largely Ignored

Adam Johnson | June 7, 2017 | FAIR

Jeffrey Goldberg’s Anti-Boycott Bluster & Blunder

Nima Shirazi | December 19, 2010 | Wide Asleep in America

Scarlett’s Letter: SodaStream’s Global Apartheid Ambassador & the Enduring Effervescence of Ethnic Cleansing

Nima Shirazi | January 26, 2014 | Wide Asleep in America

The “Constructive Engagement” of Liberal Zionists

Nima Shirazi | April 15, 2013 | Wide Asleep in America

For even more background on the boycott movement, arguments for and against it, and a deeper dive into the colonial history of Zionism in Palestine, see here.

And here’s the pro-Apartheid article we discuss throughout this episode:

South Africa Shouldn’t Be Singled Out

Anne-Marie Kriek | October 12, 1989 | Christian Science Monitor


The Guest

Steven Salaita previously held the Edward W. Said Chair of American Studies at the American University of Beirut. Author of six previous books, he is a regular columnist for Electronic Intifada and a member of the Organizing Committee of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI).

Books by our guest:

Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom

Inter/Nationalism: Decolonizing Native America and Palestine

Holy Land in Transit: Colonialism and the Quest for Canaan


Who’s Talking?

These are the hosts of Citations Needed

Adam H. Johnson is a media analyst for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. His writing has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Alternet and elsewhere.

Nima Shirazi is an editor for Muftah, a digital foreign affairs magazine. His political analysishas appeared in Salon, Truthout, Mic, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting and Al Jazeera English, among other outlets.