SAMT صمت
When voices disappear or are silenced, it becomes necessary to keep a trace of them.
In Arabic, ṣamt (صمت) means silence. The term designates both the absence of speech and a situation in which speech cannot take place.
Our approach
SAMT is a space for coordination, documentation, and analysis.
The project stems from the observation that certain forms of expression, particularly in the academic field but also in other spaces, are prevented, recharacterized, or sanctioned when they relate to critical knowledge or mobilizations concerning Palestine.
They most often appear as isolated cases or remain unformulated. Their circulation is mainly informal, which limits the ability to connect them. The objective of SAMT is to make these situations visible, to give them meaning by gathering them in a single database.
This work does not fall under a centralized structure but acts as a crossroads between different projects, collectives, and initiatives, in France and on a European scale.
Only a portion of the collected situations is made public. Others are kept and not distributed, depending on legal constraints and the risks associated with their exposure.
Academic freedom and freedom of expression
A distinction is often made between academic freedom and freedom of expression. The former refers to the freedom to explore, teach, and publish, and relates to a particular institutional framework.
This distinction is functional, but it does not necessarily reflect a difference in nature. The right to academic freedom implies the possibility to express and share opinions without risking being subjected to excessive sanctions, a condition that is also linked to freedom of expression.
In the documented cases, the limitations affecting public expression and those relating to the creation of knowledge tend to overlap and generate similar consequences.
