With a heavy heart, we are witnessing the horrors
unfolding in the Middle East since October 2023. We wish to acknowledge the profound impact the loss of life in the Middle
East and beyond is having on many members of the EGOS community. These past 1.5 years have been extremely difficult — especially
for those whose families, friends, colleagues, and students are directly affected by the escalation of violence.
The EGOS community upholds the equal value of all human life, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual
orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, religion, or disciplinary background. Encouraged
by recent calls for peace, our hope is that those in power will work toward a permanent end to the violence and a peaceful
resolution grounded in justice, to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international humanitarian law. As a community
of scholars, we also condemn the ongoing ‘scholasticide’ in Palestine — the deliberate destruction of the Palestinian educational
system. The ongoing violence in Gaza and attacks on schools, universities, and educational infrastructure have devastating
impact on entire generations whose futures are being erased.
The values of academic freedom, inclusivity, diversity,
and human dignity are central to EGOS. We are deeply saddened that many of our members not only grieve the loss of loved ones
but also experience feelings of dehumanization and fear around expressing their identities, including within our own academic
spaces. EGOS remains a space of pluralism, academic freedom, listening, and open dialogue — a space where we can express grief
over the loss of life and the destruction of social fabrics and educational and other institutions without any fear of repercussions
or exclusion. Our shared values, that
all EGOS members underwrite, require us to treat one another with respect, tolerance, and kindness. Antisemitism and Islamophobia
— like all forms of national, racial, or religious vilification — have no place whatsoever at EGOS and will not be tolerated.
The violence in the Middle East and elsewhere is causing deep distress within our community. Upholding the value of
constructive debate in the field of organizational studies, we call upon our members to engage in conversations with dignity
and mutual respect, especially when views differ. We urge the EGOS community to stand against all forms of discrimination,
to protect academic freedom, and to maintain the spirit of care and solidarity that defines our community of scholars interested
in organizational theory and research. In the face of such devastating threats to science and education, we reaffirm our commitment
to the values that bring us together as a community — and our hope for a just and lasting peace.
Scholars at Risk
As a consequence of the violence and attacks on science and educational systems in the Middle East and
elsewhere, scholarly communities all over the globe are affected by displacement, fear, and uncertainty among scholars, including
EGOS members. Therefore, EGOS is launching the ‘Scholars at Risk’ initiative. Scholars are at risk if they live in conflict
or war zones; if they are subject to repression and persecution in their country of origin; or if they had to leave their
home country. Scholars who are at risk can apply for the EGOS
scholarship which covers EGOS membership for one year; EGOS Colloquium fees for that year; and a scholarship (max. EUR
2,000) to cover travel, hotel, daily allowance, and (if applicable) visa costs. The procedure will be published on the EGOS
website in due course.
In addition, with our initiative we encourage our members’ universities and research institutions
to take initiative and establish similar schemes for research visits to their universities or research institutions. These
schemes can be as simple as providing a desk and access to the working environment, or funding stipends for scholars (and
their families) for varying durations. We will establish a website that can serve as first point of contact for scholars at
risk, providing information on ongoing programs at EGOS members’ universities.
Please reach out to executive-secretariat@egos.org
if you want to share your initiative, or have other suggestions for contributing to the EGOS ‘Scholars at Risk’ initiative.
We stand available to provide assistance to our endangered and affected colleagues.
The EGOS Executive Board
August, 14, 2025