Typically, at this time of year Fernwood would be eagerly preparing to attend the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Congress is an essential part of our work, where we make important connections with professors, students, and others involved in university work. This year’s Congress is set to take place at McGill University, but Fernwood will not be participating.
McGill has created an environment that makes attending Congress unethical and ineffective for promoting our books and connecting with new audiences. By withdrawing our participation, we are responding to two calls to boycott Congress this year because of McGill’s unwillingness to negotiate a collective agreement with the Association of McGill Professors of Law as well as the university’s response to the student encampment protesting McGill’s investments in Israel. We have urged Congress to pressure the university to reach a settlement with faculty striking for better conditions and to divest from a state that has obliterated universities, professors, students, administrators, and cultural workers. However, the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is unwilling to do so. We cannot accept this complacency.
We have demanded a refund from the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences for what we have already paid for this year’s Congress, and we refuse to invest any more resources into any activities surrounding the event.
We stand in solidarity with all students demanding their institutions divest from Israel, and with all workers agitating for better working conditions.
Fernwood Publishing