Dr. Ahmad Qabaha, Assistant Professor of English Literature and the Coordinator of the American Studies Program, opened the program.  Dr. Qabaha discussed the important relevance of the symposium theme of displacement and immigration with today’s international refugee crisis amplifying the experiences of the refugees, exiles, (illegal) immigrants and expatriates.

The symposium addressed the various modes of literary representations concerning or arising from the displacement of people due to colonialism, war, persecution or economic collapse. It invited paradigms of analysis that highlight the modes of departures of the displaced and the processes that led to their (constant) displacement. It also aimed to foreground the voice of the refugees, exiles, (illegal) immigrants and expatriates and to gain more insight into historical, socio-political and cultural parameters of ‘the displaced’ through literature.

The symposium included four sessions, in the first session, the keynote speaker, Dr. Caren Kaplan, Professor of American Studies at the University of California who presented her research paper titled: "Sovereignty of context': Postcomodity's 'Repellent Fence' and Art at the U.S. -Mexico Border".

The first panel was moderated by Dr. Mohammad Hamdan of An Najah’s English Department, focused on ‘Reconsidering Departures’ and started with a presentation by Raya Maqboul, ‘Travel Writing is Inevitably a One-way Traffic: Between Orientalist Texts and Colonial Enterprises,’ followed by Layla Abu Ayyash’s ‘Totalitarian minority politics of the United States in Middlesex by Jeffry Eugenides,’ and concluding with Taqwa Zaiton’s ‘Between Longing and Belonging: Re-reading Narratives of Return by the American Expatriate and the Palestinian Exile.’

The second panel, titled ‘Imagined Destinations’ was moderated by Ms. Shada Shahin of Bethlehem University and included presentations by Raya Maqboul on ‘Re-thinking the Notion of Expatriation: Thomas Wolfe versus Ernest Hemingway;’ Budoor Amleh’s ‘Paris is a Moveable Feast: Desiring Paris in Modern American Expatriate Narratives;’ and finally Khader Salameh’s ‘Post-revolutionary Alienation in The Marys are Coming Back This Week.’

The third panel was moderated by Ms. Zain Asqalan of Polytechnic University in Hebron and started with Duha Assi presenting ‘Cafe Versus Nature in American Expatriate Narratives of the 1920s;’ followed by Zain Shraim, ‘Expatriation Versus Exile: Voluntarily/Involuntarily Departures from homeland;’ and lastly Saba Yousef presenting ‘Heaven as Home and Earth as Exile.’

Each panel was proceed by a lively discussion with the audience.  All presenters and moderators received certificates for their participation and the best presenter award was giving to Raya Al-Lahham.

Notes:

The symposium was also attended by Dr Abdul Karim Daraghmeh; Associate Professor of English; Dr Jamil Khader of Bethlehem University; and Ms. Alia GIlbrecht, Director of the American Corner Nablus.