Past event

Dr Maha Nassar, University of Arizona Equality vs. Freedom: Continuity and Change in the Demands of '48 Palestinians

The Institute of Middle East, Central Asia and Caucasus Studies (MECACS) presents Dr Maha Nassar presenting ‘Equality vs. Freedom: Continuity and Change in the Demands of '48 Palestinians'.

In May 2021, as the world's attention was once again riveted to images of Israel's violence against Palestinians, thousands of '48 Palestinians (also known as Palestinian citizens of Israel) rose up in protest. Echoing the chants of Palestinians around the world, they pledged their fidelity to Jerusalem and demanded “hurriya” (freedom).

While there is a long history of protest among '48 Palestinians, a paradigmatic shift has occurred in recent years. Whereas protests in earlier decades were dominated by calls for equality for Palestinians within Israel and for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside it, today younger '48 Palestinians are increasingly framing their struggle as an integral part of a broader Palestinian demand for unity and national liberation from all forms of Israeli settler-colonialism.

In this talk, Dr Maha Nassar will trace these discursive shifts and discuss what they may mean for the future of Palestinians and Israelis.

Dr Nassar is an associate professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona, where she specialises in the cultural and intellectual history of the modern Arab world. Her book, Brothers Apart: Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Arab World (Stanford University Press) received a 2018 Palestine Book Award for academic titles. In it, she examines how Palestinian intellectuals in Israel connected to global decolonisation movements through literary and journalistic writings.

She has also published numerous academic articles, as well analysis and public opinion pieces, and is currently working on her next book, a social and cultural history of Palestine's people.

Email [email protected] to register for this event, which will take place in the MECACS Events MS Teams channel.