For this speakers’ corner, we will delve into the multifaceted realms of human rights, the politics of knowledge, the practical consequences of intellectual work, and the power of disruptive consumerism that are behind calls for boycotts. This nonviolent but controversial tactic is being employed to pursuit social justice against the backdrop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, the active presence of over 120 military rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ongoing atrocities in Sudan, and relentless genocidal attempts at erasing Palestinian lives and culture.

This session will unravel the intricate role of extant corporate obligations to uphold human rights, as delineated in the United Nations Guiding Principles, and their impact on fostering responsible and prosocial conduct amidst armed conflict and occupation. We will also discuss the merits and criticisms of academic and cultural boycotts, drawing from the experience of the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and its links to disruptive protest and the theory-praxis nexus in political change.

Our panel of speakers includes Mona Denaoui from BDS Geneva who will touch on the renewed impetus behind the worldwide BDS movement in support for the Palestinian people; and Ximena Osorio who is a PhD candidate in IRPS and part of the Decolonial Action Network. The conversation will be facilitated by Andrea Biswas-Tortajada whose doctoral research focuses on the intersection between business and human rights.