Gaza, Genocide, and Academic Freedom (Routledge Studies in Genocide and Crimes against Humanity)

This book analyzes Israeli military actions in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, offering a rigorous assessment through the lens of genocide studies. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks, the author demonstrates how these events align with recognized definitions of genocide, challenging readers to confront difficult questions about collective violence and responsibility. The analysis explores how Israeli actions are shaped by historical trauma, particularly the Holocaust, and fears that Palestinian control of the same area would threaten Jewish existence.

Through meticulous research, the book reveals the mechanisms enabling mass violence: identity polarization, dehumanization, and psychological denial that preserves moral self-image. In a parallel investigation, the author documents widespread attempts to suppress academic and public discourse on Israel-Palestine relations. Through carefully documented case studies involving academic censorship, professional retaliation, deportations, and institutional interference, the book makes a powerful case for protecting free inquiry as essential to understanding and addressing complex geopolitical conflicts.

This volume will appeal to scholars specializing in genocide and related forms of group violence, students learning about these topics, and anyone interested in academic freedom issues and current events associated with Gaza.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

David Moshman is a professor emeritus of educational psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he taught developmental and cognitive psychology. His research has focused on the development of reasoning and rationality, adolescent competence and rights, the intellectual freedom of students and teachers, the conceptualization of genocide, and the role of identity in group violence. He is the author of seven books including Liberty and Learning (2009), Adolescent Rationality and Development (third edition, 2011), Epistemic Cognition and Development (2015), and Reasoning, Argumentation, and Deliberative Democracy (2021).