About us
Teachers Against Occupation (TAO) is a collective organized to coordinate various efforts by scholars and teachers to critique and resist military occupations worldwide. This site is intended to be a virtual ‘meeting point’ for different academic groups engaged in building opposition to imperial policies, at home and abroad, and a resource for groups challenging government support for such policies. Collectively, we hope to present a stronger and more coordinated voice of resistance to occupations that destroy communities and livelihoods.
We’re still in our infancy, formed spontaneously in the face of Israel’s brutal blockade and bombardment of Gaza, which reached new intensities at the end of December 2008. The response has been overwhelming: many thousands have visited our site, signed letters, and disseminated material. Some of you have provided welcome material support in the form of donations. We are thankful for all of this. We intend this to be an effort that lasts beyond the current crisis, an effort to transform the terms of public discourse about military occupations, not only in Palestine, but occupations elsewhere (as for example Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Tibet). We are committed to supporting a non-violent politics at home and abroad.
As educators we have various goals: to facilitate the development and dissemination of educational resources on occupation; to enable an open conversation in U.S. schools and campuses about U.S. support for military occupations abroad; to develop strategies to contest these occupations, including but not limited to school curriculum, publications, and media campaigns; to coordinate academics and activists; to make possible discussion and debate of strategies such as boycotts, divestment and sanctions. We are also exploring ways to help educational institutions in affected areas with material support, educational supplies and exchange programs.
We invite you to help shape the future of Teachers Against Occupation by sending ideas and educational materials, submitting original work (articles, videos, audio clips), and extending the network.
To contact us with comments or questions, email contact@teachersagainstoccupation.org.
