The Oppressor’s Matrix: McGill University’s Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1963-1973

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
The Oppressor’s Matrix: McGill University’s Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1963-1973
Abstract
After the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023, Montreal’s McGill University was one of many North American institutions where students set up encampments in what they described as solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The author explains that some have linked this phenomenon to prior student movements, such as those during the Vietnam War or Apartheid in South Africa. But, he explains, the earliest demonstrations at McGill associated with the Arab-Israeli conflict occurred during Quebec’s Quiet Revolution (1960-1970), a time of significant upheaval in the province. This included unprecedented unrest at McGill: in 1969, ten thousand people marched in “Operation McGill Français,” a rally that was as much about the French language as it was about anti-colonial revolution. Focusing on this incident, a turning point in Quebec’s anti-imperialist movement, the author considers the origins of Quebec-Palestine solidarity and analyzes the phenomenon’s impact on McGill – including its Jewish students. The author argues that understanding this historical context can shed light on the recent sensitivity of the Israel / Palestine debate at McGill and offer insight into the wider historiography of political tensions on university campuses.
Publication
Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes
Volume
Vol. 40
Pages
63-87
Date
Spring 2025
URL
Citation
Fried, Jonah Philip. “The Oppressor’s Matrix: McGill University’s Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1963-1973.” Canadian Jewish Studies / Études juives canadiennes Vol. 40 (Spring 2025): 63–87. https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cjs/2025-v40-cjs010067/1118238ar.pdf.
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