Loading ...UC Berkeley's New Initiative in Palestinian and Arab Studies
By: Arwa Almasaari / Arab America Contributing Writer
The University of California, Berkeley is set to launch a new endowed program and chair in Palestinian and Arab Studies, one of the few such initiatives in the U.S., amid growing interest in the region due to Israel’s war on Gaza. The program, named after May Ziadeh, a pioneering Palestinian-Lebanese feminist and poet, will focus on Palestinian history, culture, and broader connections with the Arab world.
This initiative joins a small but notable group of similar programs in the U.S. that center on Palestine. Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies, established in 2010 in honor of Edward Said, and Brown University’s “New Directions in Palestinian Studies” initiative, launched in 2012, are among the few programs in the nation dedicated to this focus.
These efforts reflect the increasing demand for a deeper understanding of Palestinian identities, histories, and literature in both local and global contexts.
May Ziadeh Chair
The new program at UC Berkeley is named after May Ziadeh (1886–1941), a Palestinian-Lebanese feminist, poet, and key figure in the Arab cultural renaissance. Ziadeh’s unique background—being the daughter of a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother and having lived in Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt—makes her an ideal figure to represent the interconnections between Palestine and the broader Arab world, a key focus of the program.
Ussama Makdisi’s Vision
Professor Ussama Makdisi, a distinguished scholar of modern Arab history, has been named the inaugural holder of the May Ziadeh Chair. Before joining UC Berkeley, Makdisi held the Arab-American Educational Foundation Chair at Rice University. His scholarship emphasizes the importance of understanding Palestinians not merely through the lens of the Israel-Palestine conflict but as a people with a rich cultural and historical heritage. In his new role, Makdisi aims to place Palestinian history within a broader context, linking it with Indigenous, Black, and Latinx studies.
Makdisi notes that interest in Palestinian studies is at an all-time high compared to when he began teaching it twenty-seven years ago. His undergraduate course, “Palestine and the Palestinians: A Modern History,” was fully enrolled last spring, drawing students from diverse backgrounds. He also observed that interest now extends beyond Palestinian history to literature, poetry, politics, sociology, and other fields.
In a recent interview, Makdisi remarked, “This is a beautiful and brilliant initiative to finally frame the Palestinians as a people with a history… rather than reduce them to shadowy people who came out of the blue to disrupt our serenity. They should not be taught as simply a problem or conflict but as people. Once you teach their history in context, it’s much more difficult to dehumanize them.”
The Importance of Palestinian Representation
Makdisi’s statement comes against the backdrop of ongoing mass incarcerations and killings of innocent civilians. Media outlets have circulated images of Palestinian men kneeling on the ground, stripped and handcuffed, highlighting the severity of the human rights violation. Even in death, U.S. mainstream media rarely expects the public to mourn Palestinian men. While the deaths of women and children are regarded as tragic, the deaths of men are seldom acknowledged with the same horror, highlighting the dehumanization of Palestinians—particularly men.
Raka Ray, dean of UC Berkeley’s Division of Social Sciences, echoed Makdisi’s sentiment, stating: “At a time when understanding the complexities of the Middle East is more crucial than ever, this gift allows the Social Sciences to take a leading role in fostering critical scholarship and dialogue. It’s an opportunity for us to deepen our commitment to outstanding scholarship, explore important but neglected fields of study, and build inclusive education.”
Indeed, establishing programs that focus on Palestine, with its rich cultural heritage and religious diversity, plays a crucial role in helping Palestinians reclaim their voices and share their experiences. It becomes much harder to dehumanize a group once people are educated about their history, culture, and struggles. Through such initiatives, the narrative shifts from oversimplified conflict to a deeper understanding of Palestinian humanity and identity.
Funding and Future Plans
The program’s establishment was made possible by a $3.25 million donation from anonymous benefactors. These funds will support research, cultural initiatives, and the endowed chair in May Ziadeh’s name. UC Berkeley also pledged an additional $500,000 to further strengthen the initiative. Makdisi and his colleagues plan to expand the program by potentially offering a minor, as well as organizing lectures, conferences, scholarships, and fellowships.
The inaugural conference is scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13, bringing together scholars from around the world to discuss best practices for teaching and learning about Palestinian and Arab history, politics, and society.
Final Thoughts
As a scholar of Arab American studies, I believe establishing such a program is long overdue, particularly at UC Berkeley, where the Department of Ethnic Studies was founded in 1969 in the wake of national and global decolonization movements. While the department integrated African American, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American Studies, the absence of Arab American or broader Arab Studies highlights a significant gap. Given the complex geopolitics of the Middle East, especially regarding Palestine, it is important to offer courses in Arab and Arab American studies.
I hope more universities follow UC Berkeley’s lead by establishing programs focused on Arabs and Arab Americans. Lasting peace cannot be achieved without recognizing the humanity of Palestinians.
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