Des Moines Sun

"Stretching the Boundaries of Humanitarianism: Palestinian Refugees' Strategies of Care and Survival during the War in Syria” 

Prof. Nell Gabiam, Iowa State University

Prof. Gabiam’s talk addresses the response to the Syrian war’s toll on the country’s Palestinian refugee population, whose presence in Syria dates back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Rather than analyze this response primarily through the actions of international humanitarian organizations, host governments, or other members of the formal humanitarian and political realms that tend to occupy the spotlight in such situations, the talk highlights the actions taken by Palestinian refugees themselves to address the devastating effects of the Syrian war on their lives. The talk begins by providing an overview of the impact of the war in Syria on the country’s civilian population and, especially, its Palestinian population. It then provides insight into how ordinary Palestinians not only coped with, but responded to, the effects of the war. It concludes with a reflection on how taking into account the strategies of care and survival of ordinary people during times of war complicates some of the assumptions underlying dominant understandings of humanitarianism.

This event is made possible through the generous support of Prof. emeritus Joseph Schneider

Date:

Thursday, March 30 

Time:

3:30pm to 5:00pm

Location:

Cowles Library, Reading Room, Reading Room Drake University

Original source can be found here.