In 2022/23 the seminar series, Researching Palestine ran for eight weeks at Dar Jacir (Bethlehem) with talks from early career researchers covering topics such as mental health in the West Bank and the Bethlehem psychiatric hospital, alternative histories of the Palestinian photographer Karimeh Abboud, and ecology and plant blindness in Palestine. The aim was to offer the scholars a place in which they could discuss their work free of the constraints of typical academic spaces (conferences, panels, symposiums, etc.) The audiences were primarily made up of members of the local community, leading to rich and varied comments and conversations.
Following the conclusion of the series, a decision was made to produce a booklet also titled, Researching Palestine, in which the researchers could pen down their ideas and developments to their work. Drafting began in Summer 2023, however, following October 7th, redrafts were made to address the ongoing war and genocide in Palestine and consider the academy's response to it. In 2024, the booklet was published at the Biennale di Venezia, as part of the, "South West Bank. Landworks, Collective Action and Sound" exhibition.
Researching Palestine
Authors (in order): Chris Harding, Ramzi Nimr, Hanna Salmon, Raghad Hilal, Marta Wódz × Areej Ashbab, and Laura al-Tibi
Editors: Maria Khoury, Ala’ Abed, and Chris Harding
Design: Lena Holzer
[Download the booklet by clicking the image above.]