Undisciplining Palestine: Global, Systemic, & Analytic Entanglements

Amanda Batarseh
Literature
UC San Diego

Jennifer Mogannam
Critical Race & Ethnic Studies
UC Santa Cruz

This initiative seeks to create a trans-disciplinary space for Palestinian epistemological engagement, addressing systemic and epistemic violences faced by Palestinian scholars in academia. Titled “Undisciplining Palestine: Global, Systemic, & Analytic Entanglements,” the event will bring together Palestinian, Arab, and Palestine Studies scholars to share research, engage in collective brainstorming, and develop a digital syllabus project that serves as a public pedagogical resource. By highlighting themes such as colonialism, social movements, and the marginalization of narratives, the proposal aims to cultivate an alternative paradigm for engaging with Palestinian narratives and experiences. The project culminates in a three-day symposium and junior faculty retreat at UC Santa Cruz, aimed at fostering interdisciplinary inquiry into Palestinian Studies within the UC system. It also aims to build public-facing pedagogical tools for expanded teaching, research, and understanding of Palestine Studies as an entangled field through what we’re calling Palestine as an Analytic. This collective effort aspires to shift the discourse from a deficit-driven narrative to one that emphasizes resilience and collective aspirations, ultimately contributing to a broader understanding of Palestinian struggles and knowledge production within the academic landscape.