Call for Workshop
Participants
Communities displaced from their ancestral lands in Palestine have lost more than their homes; they also lose the ability to reach their lands and the rich cultural heritage it holds. This process threatens historical knowledge within a community, its relations with natural environments, and the preservation of localised traditions and skills. While the right to protection of and access to historical and cultural sites is often invoked (e.g. UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples), it is seldom respected or enforced
These series of exploratory workshops—with the choice of participating in Durham or London, according to the participant’s location— will be facilitated by researchers at Durham University. Through participatory and creative methods, we will aim to initiate a process that enables self-identified Palestinians in the UK to take part in the study of their tangible heritage. Working with archaeological artifacts dating to Palestinian lives prior to the Nakba in 1948, the team has secured access to this new material collection and are able to transport items to the UK. This will allow for the first-ever tactile encounter between Palestinians and their ancestral material heritage. In turn, these artifacts can then be integrated into community-led research, in eliciting intergenerational conversations; creative cultural experimentation; and participant-led exhibition planning.
What to expect
Each participant will commit to a series of workshops, to be held over the span of approximately one month. The workshops will run a variety of activities which include direct interaction with the artifacts, community mapping, story circles, creative writing and group discussions. Furthermore, the workshops will provide resources to enable participants to plan the future of the artefacts, their fate and potential dissemination.
How to apply
Anyone who self-identifies as a Palestinian is encouraged to apply; due to the provenance of the material archive, we are particularly excited to receive applications from those from, or the family of descendants who hail from, the Galilee. Participants will receive stipends to cover caregiving duties (including pet care), travel, accommodation, and modest per diem.