Visiting Professor at BZU learns about Palestinians culture and history in resistance

University of Middlesex professor recently traveled to Palestine to spend time in the Department of English Language Literature at Birzeit University and learn about the historical and cultural approaches of resistance in Palestine.

Associate Professor in Contemporary Performance Practice and the Program Leader of Practice as Research Reading Group at the Middlesex University Sven Johansson spent a week at Birzeit University, attending lectures, seminar and engaging in informal discussions with staff and students to study disciplinary and pedagogical approaches in the cultural-historical knowledge of the Palestinian resistance.

Johansson said that this visit aims to enrich his knowledge about the Palestinian history of resistance, which will help him in successfully completing editing a volume for The Freedom Theatre (TFT) in Jenin.

“During the week, I have seen examples of artistic practices, heard personal testimonies and other forms of anecdotal evidence, been given links to significant sources of research and received other recommendations when it comes to the awareness and scholarship of political and humanistic resistance to the occupation of the Palestinian Territories.”

Johansson extended his thanks to the Head of the Department of English Language and Literature Rania Jawad. “I and Rania had lengthy discussions on performance practices, cultural resistance and civil activism as regards the occupation. She also brought me in contact with her students and their way of conducting theatre studies and how they apply reading of modern drama through performance practices relevant to their own contemporary live situations.”

“This visit had great value to my current publication project with The Freedom Theatre in Jenin and future research projects,” he commented.

Professor Johansson expressed his interest in looking further prospects of cooperation with Birzeit University and partner organizations in the United Kingdom for joint international projects.