BRISMES Policy on Territorial or Land Acknowledgement

Version 4, revised 16 November 2025.  

This policy sets out the guidance for land and territorial acknowledgement for individuals participating in the annual BRISMES conference. This policy is entirely voluntary and has no bearing on eligibility or participation in the conference.

1. Policy Guidance

In alignment with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007) and BRISMES’s commitment to anti-colonial, anti-racist, and international legal principles, conference participants are invited to:

A. Institutional Acknowledgement

Acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which the institution to which they are affiliated is located, and/or, in the case of military occupation, acknowledge the status of the land under international law.

Authors may choose to participate without their institutional affiliation instead of providing a land/territorial acknowledgement for their institution.

B. Research Location Acknowledgement

If the research underpinning the paper was conducted on land that is:

• Traditionally owned by Indigenous peoples (in settler colonial contexts), or
• Under foreign military occupation in violation of international law,

Then we recommend that this is also acknowledged in the presentation materials.

2. Guidelines for Implementation

To comply with this policy, presenters are invited to:

• Include a land acknowledgement in the author affiliation section (when submitting a paper abstract/conference registration/conference visual presentation materials).
• When applicable, reference the relevant legal instruments or UN resolutions recognizing the status of the land (e.g., UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016) for Occupied Palestinian Territory; UNSC 550 (1984) for occupied northern Cyprus).
• When referring to Indigenous peoples, use Indigenous place names or language terms, accompanied by an English translation where necessary.
• Where relevant, document partnerships with Indigenous communities or stakeholders involved in the research process.
• Authors may choose to participate without their institutional affiliation instead of providing a land/territorial acknowledgement for their institution.

This policy is entirely voluntary and has no bearing on eligibility or participation in the conference.

Land acknowledgement in the case of settler colonies

Example 1: 

Author affiliation: Author name, Department of History, The University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus), situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Canada.  

Acknowledgements: The University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus) is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. I acknowledge the enduring connection of Indigenous peoples to this land and the ongoing legacy of settler colonialism. 

Example 2: 

Author affiliation: Author name, Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University, built on the site of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwanis, Israel.

Acknowledgements: Tel Aviv University is located on the site of the Palestinian village of Sheikh Muwanis, which was depopulated during the Nakba of 1948.

Land acknowledgement in the case of Occupied Territory

Example 1: 

Author affiliation: Name of Author, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, Ariel University, Occupied Palestinian Territory (United Nations designation).

Acknowledgements: Ariel University is located in an Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016) affirms is illegal under international law.  

Example 2: 

Author affiliation: Name of Author, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Middle East Technical University-Northern Cyprus Campus, Republic of Cyprus under Turkish military occupation (United Nations designation).

Acknowledgements: Middle East Technical University-Northern Cyprus Campus is located in the Republic of Cyprus, in an area under Turkish military occupation. The campus was established by the Government of Turkey and is not recognised by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. UN Security Council Resolution 550 (1984) affirms that the UN does not recognise Turkish sovereignty over northern Cyprus.

Land acknowledgement in the case of research taking place in Occupied Territory

Example 1

Author affiliation: Name of Author, XX University (that does not fall under the land acknowledgement policy).

Acknowledgements: This research was conducted in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which, according to the International Court of Justice advisory opinion of 19 July 2024 is under unlawful Israeli occupation. See ICJ Summary 2024/8 and UN General Assembly Resolution A/78/968.

3. Why This Policy Matters

Acknowledging the land is not a symbolic act but a critical ethical and political gesture. It recognizes:

• The historical and ongoing dispossession of Indigenous and colonized peoples;
• The role of institutions in upholding or challenging colonial structures;
• The imperative to conduct scholarship that is accountable, contextualized, and conscious of power dynamics in knowledge production.

This policy affirms BRISMES’s commitment to decolonial scholarship, human rights, and international legal norms.

4. Additional Resources

• Native Land Interactive Map – https://native-land.ca (Identifies Indigenous territories globally — especially useful for those in settler colonial states.)
• Visualizing Palestine Map – https://today.visualizingpalestine.org (Illustrates colonization and land appropriation in historic Palestine.)
• Guide to Land Acknowledgements – https://nativegov.org/a-guide-to-indigenous-land-acknowledgment/ (Practical tips for meaningful and respectful acknowledgements.)

5. Assistance and Contact 

For further clarification or assistance in preparing a land acknowledgement, please contact:

BRISMES Manager: office@brismes.org

6. Disclaimer

This policy reflects the position of BRISMES only. It does not represent the views of any institution hosting the BRISMES conference.

7. References 

United Nations. (2007). Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. https://www.un.org/development...

United Nations. (2024). Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. 19 July. A/78/968, https://docs.un.org/en/A/78/968

United Nations Security Council (2016) Resolution 2334 https://www.un.org/webcast/pdf...

The University of British Columbia, https://www.ubc.ca/about/