Following the deep dive into classroom instruction in Part III, this final section explores the broader societal and political implications of ethnic studies, particularly when ideology informs instruction and scales up to influence public opinion and foreign policy. By Charles A. Stone In 2025, approximately 418,000 California high school students...
Curriculum Is Policy, But Teachers Are Power
Building on the curricular divide explored in Part II, this essay looks beyond policy into the classroom itself, where teachers—not lawmakers—hold the real power over what students learn. By Charles A. Stone Curriculum provides structure, but in every classroom, the teacher holds the true power. While policy dictates the framework,...
Two Visions, One Classroom: The Struggle Over Ethnic Studies Curricula
As Part I explored the legislative and ideological groundwork of ethnic studies in California, part II dives into the curricular fault lines where conflicting visions of inclusion and resistance define what students encounter in the classroom. California’s journey to institutionalize ethnic studies is not merely a legislative one. At its...
UK Home Office rejection of bid to de-Proscribe Hamas
On July 10th, 2025, the UK Home Office has officially rejected an application to de-proscribe Hamas, reaffirming its classification as a banned terrorist organisation under British law. The decision follows a formal request by Riverway to the Sea, representing senior Hamas terrorist Mousa Abu Marzouk, to de-proscribe the terrorist organization and, consequently, decriminalise...
From Liberation to Legislation: The Birth of Ethnic Studies in California
In the opening essay to our four part series, Professor Charles Stone traces the rise of ethnic studies pedagogy from student activism in the 1960s to its institutionalization in California law. This foundation sets the stage for the deeper curricular battles at the heart of the controversy. The academic discipline...
‘Nakba Day’ festivals at Israeli universities
Between May 12 and 15, student chapters of the anti-Zionist parties Hadash and Balad marked “Nakba Day” with demonstrations at Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Haifa. Notably, this occurred during the ongoing multi-pronged war—a conflict that has dragged on until now in response to Hamas’s massacre in...
Behind the Scenes of the Academic Boycott Campaign
On March 13, the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands announced it was suspending its student exchange program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a program that has existed since 1986. The university tried to frame the move as part of a broader policy, which also included severing ties with...
Hypocrisy at the Heart of the Free Palestine Movement
In Gaza, a 22-year-old man was beaten to death for daring to protest Hamas. At universities in the United States, students march in support of ‘Palestinian Resistance,’ and hold multi-day hunger strikes in an effort to sever any financial ties with Israeli institutions. These actions embolden the terror group, without a word for...
