Linking Michigan and Palestine: A Workshop with the Center for Arab American Studies of the University of Michigan- Dearborn
06 March 2005
The Public Relations Department of An-Najah National University and Global Perspectives Radio Program hosted a workshop in collaboration with the Center for Arab American Studies (CAAS) of the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The workshop was entitled "Linking Michigan and Palestine, American and Arab American Studies: Gender, Race, Citizenship and Diasporas," and took place on Wednesday, March 2, 2005, in the conference hall of An-Najah University Library.
The workshop was organized in the context of a broader project that aims at developing collaborative Arab American Studies Programs in the Arab World including several Palestinian Universities.
The workshop offered an open forum for discussion and dialogue between scholars, students, and members of the local community on the significance of American and Arab American Studies and the US relations with the world. It was divided into two sessions addressing two main questions. The first question dealt with the meaning, message, and future of American Studies, and the second question dealt with transnational identities and the concepts of exile and home.
Several scholars and students from the University of Michigan and An-Najah University participated in the panel and offered their academic and personal reflections and insights. The workshop was concluded by discussing future collaborative schemes between An-Najah National University and the CAAS.
The University of Michigan Delegation was headed by Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, Associate Professor of Sociology and the newly appointed Director of CAAS and included several distinguished professors and students:
Dr. Poonam Arora
Associate Professor of English and Film Studies
Chair, Department of the Humanities
University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Dr. Gloria House (Aneb Kgositsile)
Associate Professor of Humanities and African American Studies
University of Michigan, Dearborn.
Dr. Simboonath Singh
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Department of Behavioral Sciences
University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Saja Raoof, Esq. An Iraqi-American Lawyer and Activist from
Detroit, Michigan.
Martha Vanessa Saldivar, Student with a double major in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Psychology, University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The Panalists from An-Najah National University were:
- Dr. Ruqayya Herzallah, Assistant Professor of English, Department of English Language and Literature, An-Najah National University.
- Dr. Yousef Abdel Haq, Assistant Professor of Planning and Economic Development, Department of Economics, An-Najah National University.
- Saed Jamal Abu-Hijleh, Lecturer of Political and Environmental Geography, Department of Geography, An-Najah National University.
- Mr. Sami Kilani, Director, Community Service Center (CSC), An-Najah National University.
- Mary Fattash, Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, An-Najah National University.
The workshop was organized in the context of a broader project that aims at developing collaborative Arab American Studies Programs in the Arab World including several Palestinian Universities.
The workshop offered an open forum for discussion and dialogue between scholars, students, and members of the local community on the significance of American and Arab American Studies and the US relations with the world. It was divided into two sessions addressing two main questions. The first question dealt with the meaning, message, and future of American Studies, and the second question dealt with transnational identities and the concepts of exile and home.
Several scholars and students from the University of Michigan and An-Najah University participated in the panel and offered their academic and personal reflections and insights. The workshop was concluded by discussing future collaborative schemes between An-Najah National University and the CAAS.
The University of Michigan Delegation was headed by Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi, Associate Professor of Sociology and the newly appointed Director of CAAS and included several distinguished professors and students:
Dr. Poonam Arora
Associate Professor of English and Film Studies
Chair, Department of the Humanities
University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Dr. Gloria House (Aneb Kgositsile)
Associate Professor of Humanities and African American Studies
University of Michigan, Dearborn.
Dr. Simboonath Singh
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Department of Behavioral Sciences
University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Saja Raoof, Esq. An Iraqi-American Lawyer and Activist from
Detroit, Michigan.
Martha Vanessa Saldivar, Student with a double major in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Psychology, University of Michigan-Dearborn.
The Panalists from An-Najah National University were:
- Dr. Ruqayya Herzallah, Assistant Professor of English, Department of English Language and Literature, An-Najah National University.
- Dr. Yousef Abdel Haq, Assistant Professor of Planning and Economic Development, Department of Economics, An-Najah National University.
- Saed Jamal Abu-Hijleh, Lecturer of Political and Environmental Geography, Department of Geography, An-Najah National University.
- Mr. Sami Kilani, Director, Community Service Center (CSC), An-Najah National University.
- Mary Fattash, Lecturer, Department of English Language and Literature, An-Najah National University.
