Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian is a leading activist-scholar whose work centers on liberation, anti-colonialism, and the resilience of Palestinian communities under Israeli occupation. Her activism, deeply intertwined with her scholarship, focuses on exposing and challenging the effects of settler-colonial violence on Palestinian women, children, and families, examining how state-enforced surveillance and militarization permeate daily life. Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s research highlights the invasive nature of “securitized spaces,” showing how colonial systems of control operate at psychological, physical, and social levels, often under the guise of “security.” She collaborates extensively with grassroots movements to advocate for Palestinian rights, seeking to dismantle oppressive structures through direct action and community-based approaches. Her work is foundational in anti-colonial studies, as it provides a framework for understanding the resistance strategies of marginalized communities and contributes to liberation theories by emphasizing the power of agency and resilience in the face of systematic violence. Through both scholarship and activism, Shalhoub-Kevorkian amplifies the voices of those affected by colonial oppression and pushes forward a powerful, justice-centered vision for decolonization and social change.
On April 18th, 2024, Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian was arrested and detained by Israeli police following her outspoken critique of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. She was released the following day, on April 19th, despite attempts by the authorities to prolong her detention. This incident is not isolated and a part of a larger pattern of academic suppression and systemic anti-Palestinian racism, where false accusations of antisemitism are weaponized to silence and intimidate those who advocate for Palestinian rights.
This series will provide an in-depth discussion of Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s work covering themes of Colonial and State Violence and necrocapitalism, Militarization and Surveillance, Gendered and Childhood Trauma, Resistance and Resilience and, Liberation and Anti-Colonial Theory.
The series will be divided into four sessions, each focusing on a specific reading, culminating in a bonfire discussion on the wider themes of her work, especially as it relates to activist scholarship, and what can we learn from Nadera’s dedication to grounding academic work with activism, collaborating with grassroots movements to apply her research in practical ways that support Palestinian rights and challenge oppressive systems directly.
Session 1: The Occupation of the Senses: The Prosthetic and Aesthetic of State Terror (December 12th, 2024, 18:30 CET)
Session 2: Colonial necrocapitalism, state secrecy and the Palestinian freedom tunnel (January 13th, 2025, 18:30 CET)
Session 3: Security Theology, Surveillance and the Politics of Fear (1 chapter of the book tba) (February 13th, 2025, 18:30 CET)
Session 4: The Grammar of Rights in Colonial Contexts: The Case of Palestinian Women in Israel (March 13th, 2025, 18:30 CET)
Bonfire: Activist Scholarships: navigating censorship and academic boxes towards emancipatory scholarship (TBA)
The reading material will be provided upon registering.
This reading series is co-organized by Taraf Abu Hamdan, Esraa Al-Muftah, and Yara Abdelaziz, in collaboration with the Association for Middle East Women’s Studies Justice for Palestine Committee, and is part of our Palestine Solidarity Series. Everyone is invited to share knowledge and join the conversation. We highly encourage reading the designated chapters thoroughly before each session to facilitate meaningful and generative knowledge-sharing.
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Image credit: https://achrs.org/english/2022/11/23/israeli-surveillance-system-heavy-consequences-for-palestinians/