On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, An-Najah held a symposium on identity and identity formation in the U.S and Palestine at Zafer Al-Masri Auditorium at the Old Campus.

The symposium aimed at introducing the Palestinian students to the American experience and comparing it with the Palestinians’.

Dr. Nabil Alawi, Associate Professor of American Literature at An-Najah, talked about the Palestinian students' passion to learn from the American experience through literature. He also talked about the necessity of developing the exchange programs between American and the Palestinian universities including offering joint degree programs at with American universities.

Mr. Richard Buangan, Chief of Public Diplomacy at the American Consulate in Jerusalem, said that art, literature and heritage are reflections of the American experience; there are good and bad stories. He added that America has had moments of crises, noting the segregation period in the 1960s. He also encouraged students to think critically when talking about the American experience.

Dr. Beth Harris of Ithaca College in New York gave a presentation on American and Palestinian identities. She talked about three core issues including identity formation as a dynamic process, Orientalism, and collective identities. She also talked about how people stereotype others and themselves. At the end of her presentation, Dr. Harris introduced poems by African American and Palestinian poets and discussed the identity crises both suffer.

The symposium continued withby presentations by students of An-Najah National University, the Arab American University, and Al-Quds University.

Notes:

-          The delegation was received by Professor Maher Natsheh, Acting President of An-Najah.

-          The symposium was also attended by Dr. Kristof Haavik and Mr Tim Josin Louis Knaeps of the Arab American University, Dr. Jamal Nafi of Al-Quds University, Dr. Sana Towns from An-Najah, and Ms May Barghouthi of the American Consulate General.