Saskia Sassen is a Dutch American sociologist best known for coining the concept of the “global city” and for her work on globalization, migration, and transnational systems. She serves as the Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University and as a Centennial Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics. Her scholarly prominence has given her a significant public platform, which she has consistently used to advance political critiques of Israel over more than two decades.
Sassen’s personal history has drawn attention due to her father, Willem Sassen, a Dutch Nazi collaborator and Waffen SS member who later lived in Argentina and maintained documented associations with Adolf Eichmann. Sassen has spoken publicly about her father’s past and his social circle, including Eichmann, though she has framed these discussions within broader reflections on history and power.
Beginning in the mid 2000s and intensifying during periods of conflict in Gaza, Sassen has repeatedly characterized Israeli military operations as experiments in urban warfare and as forms of collective punishment. In multiple articles and interviews, she has described Gaza as a laboratory for Israeli military tactics, arguing that Israel uses occupation and control to terrorize and demoralize the civilian population. She has accused Israel of destroying Gaza’s social and material foundations and has framed Israeli border and security policies as inherently violent and unsustainable.
Sassen has also signed numerous public letters and manifestos condemning Israeli actions, including appeals to U.S. presidents and Congress accusing Israel of disproportionate violence and structural oppression. She has aligned herself with activist coalitions and academic initiatives centered on Palestinian advocacy, including events hosted by Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies and international activist networks calling for professional and cultural opposition to Israeli institutions.
Since the outbreak of the most recent Gaza war, Sassen has escalated her rhetoric, publicly referring to Israeli actions as genocide and amplifying narratives that frame Israel and the United States as jointly responsible for mass civilian harm. Her commentary consistently minimizes or omits the role of Hamas or other armed groups, instead situating responsibility almost exclusively with Israel and Western governments.
Record of Advocacy and Ideological Bias
Academic and Organizational Roles
Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University
Centennial Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics
Prominent theorist of globalization and urban systems
Public Statements and Activism
Publicly described Israeli military operations in Gaza as experiments in urban warfare
Accused Israel of terrorizing and demoralizing the Palestinian population
Characterized Israeli actions as disproportionate, oppressive, and genocidal
Signed open letters to U.S. political leaders condemning Israeli military policy
Repeatedly framed Gaza as a site of collective punishment and structural violence
Collaborations and Affiliations
Participant in Center for Palestine Studies events at Columbia University
Signatory to international academic and activist statements supporting Palestinian political claims
Aligned with activist networks criticizing Israeli urban planning, security policy, and military doctrine
Impact on Academic Discourse and Accountability Concerns
Sassen’s sustained activism illustrates how academic authority in the social sciences can be leveraged to normalize highly charged political narratives within elite institutions. By repeatedly framing Israel as uniquely illegitimate, violent, and genocidal while omitting contextual analysis of terrorism, regional actors, or asymmetric warfare, her work contributes to a one directional political framing that blurs the line between scholarship and ideological advocacy. Her prominence at Columbia and internationally amplifies these narratives and reinforces their legitimacy within academic and activist spaces, raising questions about balance, accountability, and the politicization of scholarly authority.
