E. Valentine Daniel is a Sri Lankan born anthropologist and professor emeritus at Columbia University, where he also served as director of the Southern Asian Institute. He received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and completed his graduate training at the University of Chicago. Over the course of his academic career, Daniel held significant institutional authority and influence within Columbia’s scholarly infrastructure.
While no longer an active faculty member, Daniel’s public record demonstrates early and consistent engagement in organized faculty activism directed at Israel. In 2009, he signed a letter addressed to Columbia President Lee Bollinger calling on the university to publicly oppose Israeli military actions in Gaza and to affirm what the signatories framed as the academic freedom of Palestinians. The letter positioned Israel as uniquely culpable while omitting the broader context of terrorism, regional warfare, and security threats.
In 2016, Daniel signed a faculty petition demanding that Columbia University divest from corporations alleged to profit from the subjugation of the Palestinian people. This petition aligned with the broader boycott, divestment, and sanctions framework that seeks to isolate Israel economically and academically. The framing of the petition echoed the language of apartheid and systemic oppression that has become central to campus divestment movements.
Daniel’s participation in these initiatives reflects an ideological posture that treats Israel not as a state subject to critique but as a singular moral offender warranting institutional punishment. His involvement helped normalize the use of academic authority to advance political campaigns that blur the line between scholarly inquiry and activist pressure.
Record of Advocacy and Ideological Bias
Academic and Organizational Roles
Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Columbia University
Former Director of Columbia’s Southern Asian Institute
Educated at Amherst College and the University of Chicago
Public Statements and Activism
Signed a 2009 letter urging Columbia leadership to oppose Israeli military actions in Gaza
Framed Israeli policy as a violation of Palestinian academic freedom
Signed a 2016 faculty petition calling for university divestment from Israel linked corporations
Collaborations and Affiliations
Aligned with faculty led divestment and boycott initiatives targeting Israel
Participated in coordinated academic campaigns using institutional authority to pressure university policy
Impact on Academic Discourse and Accountability Concerns
E. Valentine Daniel’s record illustrates how senior scholars have helped lay the groundwork for today’s campus divestment and boycott movements. By advancing narratives that single out Israel for institutional sanction while invoking academic freedom as justification, his actions contributed to a framework in which political activism is embedded within academic governance. This pattern raises ongoing concerns about how legacy faculty influence has shaped a campus culture where ideological advocacy is treated as scholarship, and where the consequences for Jewish students and academic pluralism are frequently dismissed or minimized.
