University of Barcelona
University of Barcelona creates new academic platform for Palestinian studies
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- The University of Barcelona will inaugurate a dedicated chair for Palestinian studies on Oct. 14, in partnership with the Ferrer Foundation.
- The initiative aims to expand research into Palestine’s history, politics, society and culture and strengthen ties with Palestinian academic institutions.
- The launch will feature a panel discussion with Palestinian academics and cultural figures.
The University of Barcelona is set to establish what it describes as Europe’s first university chair dedicated specifically to Palestinian studies, creating a new academic platform for research into Palestine and its history, politics and culture.
The chair, established in partnership with the Ferrer Foundation, will be officially inaugurated on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the university’s historic building. According to the university, the initiative is intended to foster interdisciplinary research, encourage public discussion and strengthen academic cooperation with Palestinian universities and institutions.
The inauguration will be led by university rector Joan Guàrdia. Other speakers will include Elisenda Calvet, a professor of international law; Estefania Rico, director of the Ferrer Foundations; and Júlia Pastor, who oversees the foundations’ Acció Palestina programme.
A panel discussion, titled “Palestinian Voices: Can Academia Help Change the World?”, will form part of the launch. Journalist Txell Feixas will moderate the discussion, which will include Omar Melad, president of Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, through a prerecorded video message; Sanaa Al Sarghali of An-Najah National University’s UNESCO Chair in Human Rights, Democracy and Peace; and Manar Idrissi, an arts and cultural manager based in Jerusalem.
The programme will also include a question-and-answer session and a poetry reading by Palestinian writer and journalist Mohamad Bitari.
The university says the chair will provide a space for research, reflection and the exchange of knowledge, while promoting closer links between European academia and Palestinian institutions.
The initiative comes amid the war in Gaza, which has drawn renewed international attention to Palestine and the challenges facing its people and institutions.
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