Pathways to Peace: Drawing from the Experiences of Palestinian Refugees

Wednesday, 24 Apr 2024 at 6:00 pm – 2630 Memorial Union

This talk reflects on the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of Palestinian refugees, who have been marginalized in international attempts to resolve the conflict. So far, these international attempts, which have largely focused on a two-state solution have been unsuccessful. Drawing on the experiences of Palestinian refugees who have been at the center of the research Dr. Gabiam has conducted over the last 20 years, she reflects on the challenges and possibilities that emerge from moving beyond a nationalist and state-centric approach to achieving peace in the Middle East.Nell Gabiam is Associate Professor of anthropology and political science and Co-Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Minor program at Iowa State University. She received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. She is the author of The Politics of Suffering: Syria’s Palestinian Refugee Camps (2016, Indiana University Press). She is currently working on her second book, which is the result of fieldwork conducted primarily in Lebanon, Turkey, France, Germany, and Sweden. Her second book project examines how mass displacement from Syria as a result of the ongoing war in that country has affected Palestinian identity and political claims.This lecture has been recorded and is available to view on the Available Recordings page until May 10.

---

This talk reflects on the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of Palestinian refugees, who have been marginalized in international attempts to resolve the conflict. So far, these international attempts, which have largely focused on a two-state solution have been unsuccessful. Drawing on the experiences of Palestinian refugees who have been at the center of the research Dr. Gabiam has conducted over the last 20 years, she reflects on the challenges and possibilities that emerge from moving beyond a nationalist and state-centric approach to achieving peace in the Middle East.Nell Gabiam is Associate Professor of anthropology and political science and Co-Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Minor program at Iowa State University. She received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2008. She is the author of The Politics of Suffering: Syria’s Palestinian Refugee Camps (2016, Indiana University Press). She is currently working on her second book, which is the result of fieldwork conducted primarily in Lebanon, Turkey, France, Germany, and Sweden. Her second book project examines how mass displacement from Syria as a result of the ongoing war in that country has affected Palestinian identity and political claims.This lecture has been recorded and is available to view on the Available Recordings page until May 10.