Conceptualizing Palestine: Research and Practice in a Time of Genocide

On 28 May 2024, as a part of Hakawi Program, Birzeit University’s Museum held a conversation with Abdul-Rahim Al-Shaikh titled: “Conceptualizing Palestine: Research and Practice in a Time of Genocide”. In this rich conversation with BZU Museum researcher and BZU PhD candidate in the BZU PhD Program in the Social Sciences, Yasmeen Qadan, Abdul-Rahim discussed a number of vital themes concerning pedagogical, cultural, social and intellectual topics. This conversation both covered the contemporary history of Palestine and Palestinian Studies as well as the praxis of intellectual production in, on and about Palestine and Palestinians. A main focus of the conversation was drawn out from the recently released book under the title: Conceptualizing Modern Palestine: Exemplars of Liberating Knowledge the newest iteration of the intellectual and pedagogical project with professor Abdul-Rahim Al-Shaikh and the graduate students in BZU’s PhD Program in the Social Sciences. This project is an ongoing experiment lead by Al-Shaikh and is an example of how BZU can function as a space of decolonizing knowledge through practice and praxis. In the midst of the existential violence of the ongoing genocide throughout Palestine and, in particular, in the Gaza Strip, this conversation enabled us to gather and share intellectually and show how Palestine is world-changing and knowledge in Palestine is world-making. 

To watch the conversation, click this link.