On Monday 31 March students of the Autobiography class in the Department of English, held a video conference with Political Justice students at Ithaca College, New York. This was the first in a series of video conferences that take place every semester.

The students discussed the main themes from Palestinian writer, Edward Said’s seminal book: “Orientalism” and his film” Looking for Palestine”. Said’s film is an autobiography, featuring Said on a tour of Palestine accompanied by his son. It looks at the theme of the unconscious Palestinian identity. The film also captures the suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Occupation.

Ithaca students also stated their admiration at the boldness of their Palestinian student counterparts and their ability to present the facts about the Palestinian cause. The American students showed great interest in the Palestinian cause and particularly the writings of Edward Said.

At the end of the conference, all the students expressed their gratitude for the useful event, and expressed their hope for more in the future.

Note:

1. The video conference was moderated by Dr. Nabil Alawi (An-Najah) and Prof. Beth Harris (Ithaca College).
2. 10 Palestinian students participated: Sharaf Yassin (moderator), Shaimaa Fathi, Rawan Saqf- Elheit, Kawthar Abu Zarour, Amal Soufan, Yasmin Dweikat, Atheer Nasser, and a Spanish student studying English at An-Najah.
3. Edward Said was a prominent Palestinian writer and thinker.