By the time history professor Nancy Stockdale began her lecture Thursday, the Jade Ballroom at the University of North Texas Union was almost at capacity, with some attendees standing. One month earlier, her presentation had been challenged by five Republican state representatives who serve Denton County, but UNT officials didn鈥檛 cancel the event.
鈥淥ne of the things that鈥檚 good about the university is that we can have all of those discussions,鈥� Stockdale said when a student asked her about resisting the pressure to accept the status quo and Israeli injustice. 鈥淲hat I think is really upsetting is when you have people that literally went after my talk because of the title. They didn鈥檛 even have a description. We added a description last week on the events calendar. They got really mad at a title. And I thought, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 really a sad commentary on the purpose of the university.鈥� There鈥檚 all kinds of things I don鈥檛 personally agree with, but I learn about them all the time.鈥�
Stockdale, the Jean Schaake Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, was chosen to present the Dr. Emile Sahliyeh Commemorative Lecture on Middle Eastern Politics last week. Sahliyeh, a retired professor who founded UNT鈥檚 international studies program, attended the lecture and was seated in the front row.
Last month, freshman state Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, took to social media he sent to UNT administrators demanding they remove an art exhibit and cancel Stockdale鈥檚 lecture, titled 鈥淧alestinian Children and the Politics of Genocide.鈥�
The letter said the representatives had received 鈥渁 hundred or more鈥� correspondences from constituents alleging that the art and the lecture were antisemitic. The letter was signed by fellow Republican Reps. Richard Hayes of Hickory Creek, Jared Patterson of Frisco, Andy Hopper of Decatur and Ben Bumgarner of Flower Mound.
The university ultimately chose to keep the art exhibit up an additional three days, so that it closed on schedule. One of the student artists removed a work of art that had prompted criticism from Jewish students and supporters of Israel.
The state representatives asked that Stockdale鈥檚 lecture be canceled within 48 hours.
In his letter, Little objected to the use of the word 鈥済enocide鈥� in both the art exhibit and the title of the lecture. Texas Republicans and some in the North Texas Jewish community have argued that accusing Israel of genocide is problematic. The Anti-Defamation League in February, which reads: 鈥淕enocide is a very specific crime with legal elements requiring intent and action that are difficult to meet, and in no way do Israeli policies and actions reach this legal threshold.鈥� ADL leadership said critics use the term sensationally, and to diminish what it calls 鈥渞ecognized acts of genocide.鈥�
The contested lecture follows a year of pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus, and the university鈥檚 recent confirmation that it is complying with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into alleged antisemitism on campus since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas.
The Denton Record-Chronicle called all five state representatives鈥� offices and emailed each representative鈥檚 media relations team asking for a statement about the university鈥檚 decision to host the event.
So far, only Patterson responded, but said he had no reply.
Stockdale鈥檚 lecture focused on the work of Palestinian girls to publicize their lives before and during the war in Gaza, highlighting Ahed Tamimi and Janna Jihad before the 2023 war, and , and since the war began in 2023. She focuses on girls, she said, because, while Palestinian girls become aware of their precarity as children just as boys do, they experience it differently. Palestinian girls grow up in private and public spheres having more responsibility at younger ages than boys, Stockdale said. And while they mature, they do so in a world that 鈥渁ssaults their honor鈥� even as their world expects them to behave to protect their family鈥檚 honor.
鈥淪o, what I argue is that Palestinian girls have been and continue to be essential activists who take up the challenge of samud 鈥� and samud is a Palestinian value that translates something like 鈥榮teadfastness鈥� 鈥� in the face of dispossession, occupation, discrimination,鈥� Stockdale said.
In the measured, civil discussion that followed the lecture, tempers flared once, when a guest said Stockdale had mentioned the Oct. 7 strike on Israel by Hamas, and said he 鈥渁ssumed you condemn that attack.鈥� Stockdale called the question disingenuous.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e trying to goad me, right?鈥� she said. 鈥淚 completely abhor innocent people being killed, and all of that. And I think that that seems should be obvious from my talk.鈥�
Students and visitors raised their voices when the guest pushed back.
鈥淚t seems to me that the energy of the Palestinians would be better spent trying to get their leadership鈥� to engage with Israel politically instead of violently, the guest said.
鈥淚 mean, I think people鈥檚 energy right now is literally trying to survive,鈥� Stockdale said. 鈥淎nd I don鈥檛 say that in a flippant way. That is the literal truth.鈥� Stockdale said Israeli policy has controlled the amount of food that moves into Gaza since 2008, and said the war has left Palestinians without water.
The discussion calmed when a man, who identified himself as a Zionist Jew who was born and raised in North Texas, asked Stockdale how she would recommend people approach a dialogue about thorny issues, such as Hamas.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 a little bit discouraging for me 鈥� and I almost didn鈥檛 want to ask this 鈥� is why, when the gentleman asks and even suggested that maybe Hamas leadership ought to be reconsidered, multiple people jumped and just quieted him,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 just curious if that wouldn鈥檛 perhaps contradict the idea of an open stage or exchange of ideas? I鈥檓 asking you to educate me as if I were a student. How can I approach the conversation around Hamas? We saw another student can bring up resistance and talk a lot about what it meant to them and to their family, and that is their opinion. That is their truth. But when the gentleman just tried to go in the direction of his, it鈥檚 talking point. It鈥檚 a trap. Is there a better way?鈥�
Stockdale suggested the guest was on the right track and should bring his personal story into the discussion that she said is often unfairly reduced to hot buttons.
鈥淚 think that one of the ways to do that is literally to say what you said: 鈥業鈥檓 from North Texas. I鈥檓 a proud Jew. I鈥檓 a proud Zionist. I have these experiences. I don鈥檛 have these experiences. I have experienced things. October 7th shook me to the core. It terrified me.鈥� Whatever it is. 鈥業 want to learn how to talk to people who ... have a different viewpoint.鈥� How do we do that? How do we sit down in good faith and really talk? I think that鈥檚 how to do it. And it can be very difficult. And you know, that鈥檚 a journey that I think we鈥檙e all on our whole lives about pretty much everything.鈥�
脰zlem Altiok, a UNT senior lecturer in the women and gender studies program and the international studies program, said after the event that some of her former students told her they wanted to come, but stayed away
鈥淭his is a former student who鈥檚 still a student, an international student. She said, 鈥業 saw this poster, and I鈥檓 so, so interested, and I want to attend. But, honestly, professor, I鈥檓 scared. Do you think it鈥檚 safe?鈥� And then she asked me, 鈥楧id you see the video of the Turkish Ph.D. student, Rumeysa Ozturk, who was taken into detention?鈥欌��
Altiok said international studies faculty are following the news about students in danger of losing their visas, and offering what comfort they can to UNT international students.
Altiok said the lecture gave her a little of her own comfort.
鈥淎nd, like, the whole time I was looking at people, and feeling so good that so many people turned out. ... Our students who are here to learn are not able to come to lectures because they are afraid,鈥� she said.
Students asked Stockdale how she is able to continue her work during what they called an attack on subjects or discussions about race, gender and identity on college campuses.
鈥淢y response as a scholar isn鈥檛 to shrink away and go, 鈥業鈥檓 not going to do that anymore,鈥欌�� Stockdale said. 鈥淢y response as a scholar is, 鈥極K, that鈥檚 interesting. Why are they doing that? How can I function in this environment?鈥� I鈥檓 the sole breadwinner of my family. I don鈥檛 have the privilege to just go and forget this. I鈥檓 not going to do it. Also, I have passion for teaching. I have passion for history. I love UNT. I love all these things and it鈥檚 my job. So, am I worried? Well, I鈥檓 worried about a lot of things. I also think that, now, with the federal government that we have, Texas isn鈥檛 so unique.鈥�