A Taxonomy of Anti-BDS Arguments: Structures and Strategies in Canada’s Academic Sector

This study presents a structured taxonomy of 72 distinct arguments opposing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, organized into 9 categories and derived through a systematic, Large Language Model-assisted methodology. It distinguishes between substantive arguments, addressing moral and political claims, and institutional arguments, focused on governance, legality, and policy outcomes. Drawing primarily on Canadian academic case studies, the paper analyzes how different types of arguments influence success or failure in campus debates. The taxonomy offers researchers, policymakers, and advocates a comprehensive framework for understanding and evaluating anti-BDS reasoning in academic and organizational contexts.