Universities are often portrayed as spaces of free thought and critical inquiry. In practice, however, academia in Israel also functions as a partner in a wider societal architecture where violence is normalised and rewarded.
This is not about the campus atmosphere itself, but about how institutions, programmes and systems of merit link higher education to military logic. When service in surveillance or combat provides advantages in admission, funding or career advancement, the very notion of merit shifts.
This web section expands on the booklet: showing how these connections operate, what norms they produce, and how they shape research, teaching and public narratives.
Key Points
- Academia operates not only as a neutral environment but as an active participant in military logic.
- Reward systems convert combat experience into academic capital.
- Funding structures and study programmes align research with military priorities.
- The result: a shift in norms – redefining knowledge, merit, and responsibility.
Academia’s Role in Military Logic
Universities and research programmes are linked to military needs through targeted funding, contractual projects, and special admission tracks. The point is not isolated courses, but an institutional web where competencies, networks and resources circulate between academia and the army.
This exchange shapes what is considered valuable knowledge, which partners count, and which research methods are rewarded.
│ Ethical question:
If combat credentials carry academic weight – whose experiences are excluded, and what are the consequences for knowledge and access?
Reward Systems
Students distinguished in military or surveillance service often receive preferential admission, merit points, flexible study paths, and scholarships. In this way, violence capital is converted into symbolic capital – a kind of exchange rate where service in the security apparatus pays dividends in academia.
The outcome is a shift in norms: the ability to enforce or administer control becomes academically meritorious.
Institutional Effects
Once military logic is embedded in academic structures, it reshapes research agendas, teaching methods, and public narratives.
Security-framed perspectives are prioritised; critical or dissenting approaches are marginalised. Violence, in turn, appears more “necessary”, “responsible”, or “technically rational”.
Deepening: The Atuda Programme – Linking Study and Service
The Atuda programme combines military service with higher education. Recruitment, funding, and career tracks are tied together: students gain privileges and resources, while universities provide trained expertise and legitimacy to the military-industrial complex.
The result is a stable, self-reinforcing pipeline between military practice and academic prestige.
Media
- QR: Short clip illustrating how academic merit and military service intertwine.
- (Optional) Graphic or video showing scholarship and recruitment pathways.
Sources
- B’Tselem and Who Profits: reports on academic–military cooperation.
- Studies on academic freedom and security regimes.
- Israeli Ministry of Defence and university collaboration announcements.
- 1–2 sources in Swedish can be added for public education purposes.
Reflection Questions
- How does academia contribute to legitimising military logic within society?
- What happens when combat or surveillance experience becomes a valued form of academic capital?
- How does your understanding change after watching the accompanying media clip?
Tips for Dialogue
- How does the mission of a university change when military credentials weigh heavily in admissions or promotions?
- Where is the line between civilian research and military utility – and who decides where it lies?
- In what ways can discipline and surveillance on campus make it resemble a barracks rather than an open learning environment?
- Which kinds of civic or critical experience become invisible when combat service is rewarded?
- Can you identify similar patterns between academia and security structures in other countries?
Resources
PDF: Report on Academic Freedom and Security Regimes – download
Video: Campus Under Control – Discussion on the Militarisation of Academia – watch