BRISMES Updates Policy on Land and Territorial Acknowledgement - Now Mandatory

Posted: 29/09/2025

Updated 22 September 2025.

This policy sets out the mandatory requirements for land and territorial acknowledgement for all individuals submitting to the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (BJMES) and/or participating in the annual BRISMES conference.

1. Scope of the Policy

This policy applies to:

All authors submitting articles to the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (BJMES);
All individuals submitting proposals or participating in the BRISMES Annual Conference;
All authors or participants who are:
- Working or studying at an institution located on land appropriated from Indigenous peoples by settler colonial regimes, including (but not limited to) the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel (1948 Palestine); or
- Based at institutions established on land appropriated by a foreign occupying power, in contravention of international law, such as in Occupied Palestinian Territory;
Any individual whose research was conducted on such appropriated or occupied land.

2. Policy Requirements

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, authors and conference participants are required 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.

B. Research Location Acknowledgement

If the research underpinning the article or 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 this must also be acknowledged in the manuscript or presentation materials.

3. Guidelines for Implementation

To comply with this policy, authors and presenters must:

Include a land acknowledgement in:
- The author affiliation section (when submitting a manuscript/paper abstract/conference registration/conference visual presentation materials)
- The acknowledgements section (providing further details, in final manuscript submission/conference paper)
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.

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.

4. 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.

5. 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.)

6. Compliance and Enforcement

This is a mandatory policy. Submissions to BJMES and proposals to the BRISMES conference that do not comply with the land or territorial acknowledgement requirements will be returned. Continued non-compliance will result in the rejection of the submission or withdrawal of participation.

BRISMES reserves the right to request clarification or additional information from authors or presenters regarding their institutional or research locations to ensure compliance.

7. Assistance and Contact

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

Dr Lloyd Ridgeon, Editor, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies: lvjr@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

BRISMES Manager: office@brismes.org

8. Disclaimer

This policy reflects the position of BRISMES only. It does not represent the views of the publisher, Editor, or any other third parties associated with this Journal, nor those of any institution hosting the BRISMES conference.

9. 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/

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BRISMES Mandatory Policy on Ethical Publishing and Participation Standards

In line with BRISMES’s commitment to human rights, anti-racism, and decolonial scholarship, submissions and participation in BRISMES activities are subject to the following ethical standards.

A paper/proposal will be excluded if it:

Glorifies or justifies gross human rights violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity (including apartheid), or genocide in any context.
Incites racial discrimination, hostility, or violence.
Is submitted by an academic who:

a. Has served in the military forces (including logistical and intelligence units) of a state charged in international courts with war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, where such service took place during the period in which those crimes occurred.

b. Is reasonably suspected of involvement in public incitement to war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide.

c. Engages in advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence, as prohibited under international human rights law and recognised as among the severest forms of hate speech.

The above stipulations also apply to reviewers, editors, editorial board members, committee members, employees and other individuals involved in BRISMES activities.

Compliance and Enforcement

This is a mandatory policy. Submissions to BJMES, proposals to the BRISMES conference or registration to the conference by individuals that violate BRISMES’s ethical publishing and participation standards will be rejected.

BRISMES reserves the right to request clarification or additional information from authors or presenters regarding their involvement in activities that are prohibited under international law.

For further clarification or assistance in relation to this policy, please contact:

Dr Lloyd Ridgeon, Editor, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies: lvjr@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

BRISMES Manager: office@brismes.org