Catastrophe in Context: a Teach-In on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Beyond

BISR Facebook Page (facebook.com/TheBrooklynInstitute)
As Israeli airstrikes convulse the Gaza strip, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems to be entering a new, more intensive phase of catastrophe. What drove it to this point? And where, ultimately, is it heading?

Join us Friday, October 27th, as BISR faculty gather to conduct an all-day teach-in dedicated to exploring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in its many dimensions. We’ll anchor our discussion in the deep history of the territory—from the founding of Israel to the occupations of Gaza and the West Bank to contemporary events—before turning to theories and histories of colonization, decolonization, and political violence, and finally, the geopolitical context in which present events are unfolding. We will ask: How have local populations been organized and separated territorially and politically? What kinds of self-government have Palestinians been afforded, and how have those regimes both contested and cooperated with the Israel state? How does the conflict fit within the wider history of colonization and decolonization? What are the modes of Palestinian politics and struggle? How can we understand recent political turmoil within Israel? How has the Israeli state become a model for authoritarianism globally, including among anti-Semites? What role does Palestine play in the context of global left-wing politics? And what is the role of the United States? How can we understand its abiding relationship with Israel?

Streaming live to the BISR public Facebook page, the teach-in will feature faculty K. Soraya Batmanghelichi, Anthony Alessandrini, Max Ajl, Ajay Singh Chaudhary, R.H. Lossin, and Barnaby Raine. We will be teaching from specific texts, which viewers can access and read in advance by RSVPing below. The event is free to attend, and can be viewed regardless of whether one has a Facebook account (and we encourage attendees to submit questions and comments in the comment section). The program schedule is as follows (with more details shortly to come):

11am-1pm | The History of Palestine

1pm-3pm | Theories and Histories of Colonization, Decolonization, and Violence

3pm-5pm | The Geopolitics of the Middle East

5pm-sundown (in observance of Shabbes/Evening Prayers) | Concluding Questions and Final Thoughts

Event Schedule
Friday, 11:00am-6:00pm
October 27, 2023