Violence, Forced Migration and Exile

The Projekt

The multilateral Higher Education Dialogue "Violence, Forced Migration and Exile: Trauma in the Arab World and Germany" of the LMU Munich with four Palestinian universities, the Birzeit University (Bir Zeit, Westbank), the Bethlehem University, the An-Najah National University (Nablus, Westbank) and the Dar al-Kalima University College (Bethlehem, Westbank), and two Lebanese universities, the University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University (Beirut), aims to create an interdisciplinary research group of German, Palestinian and Lebanese students. In a national and country-comparative perspective, the research group deals with traumatic experiences of violence and the coping with it in Germany and the Arab world. It is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funding of the Federal Foreign Office as part of the Programme Higher Education Dialogue with the Muslim World, which furthers cultural dialogue between Germany and Middle Eastern countries.

Besides the project coordinators Sarah El Bulbeisi (Munich), Fardous Salameh (Ramallah) and Hrag Vosgueritchian (Beirut), the research group consists of 14 students and young scientists from the three countries. Under supervision of experienced scientists of the affiliated institutions, they investigate the topics of dealing with violence, trauma and experiences of exile in Germany and the Arab World by studying three interrelated subfields: "Religion", "Gender and Generation" as well as "Public and Private Spaces".

The intense scientific cooperation creates an exemplary space in which students and young scientists with different cultural background meet each other personally. In method seminars and research colloquia the students acquire knowledge and qualification in theory and practice. Through the academic exchange and the joint scientific examination of traumatic past and present, participants from Germany and the Arab world will make experiences of each other and reflect their own cultural attitude towards the other. Through the joint scientific debate, close contacts are to be established between the students, which will prepare the ground for future research networks between the three countries in the following years.

The affiliated supervisors have different academic backgrounds: cultural and political sciences, cultural and social anthropology, as well as sociology and gender studies. This interdisciplinary and multilateral approach not only serves the academic quality and originality of the project, but also promotes interdepartmental and interdisciplinary cooperation and networking in and between the three countries.

In addition to interdisciplinarity and multilateralism, that overcomes professional and higher education policy boundaries, the project seeks to strengthen South-South cooperation between Palestine and Lebanon. Therefore, the project tries to facilitate dialogue between students and academics, who usually have difficulties to get together due to political circumstances.

The project provides a transnational platform in which young scientists can work in an innovative and application-oriented manner. In addition, the students participate in a range of supporting and training measures and, in turn, act as multipliers in Lebanese and Palestinian higher education. Also planned are processes of structural formation as the establishment of an online research platform.

Project coordinator:

• Nadine Löhr (München)
• Hrag Vosgerichian (Beirut)

Research fellows:

• Ahmed Sukker (Gaza/ Berlin)
• Ali Kassem (Sussex)
• Areej Faza (Jenin)
• Azzam To´meh (Beirut)
• Barbara Kirsch (München/ London)
• Dana Farraj (Marseille)
• Ghina Abi-Ghannam (Beirut)
• Hussein Chokr (Beirut)
• Issabella Aburakia
• Jude Wafai (Beirut/ Chicago)
• Linda Huke (Berlin)
• Luisa Meyer (Beirut)
• Marah Hanoon (ramallah)
• Marwa Bakabas (Beirut)
• Susanne Eckstein (Köln)
• Watfa Najdi (Beirut)

Project assistant:

• Johannes v. Stieglitz (München)

Events

• March 1-3, 2019: Workshop on Violence and Ideology with Prof. Nadia Bou Ali (AUB, Beirut) in Munich
• September 24-26, 2019: Workshop on Identity in Exile and Diaspora with Dr. Paul Tabar (Lebanese American University, Beirut) in Tunis
• December 11-15, 2019: Workshop on Collective Action, Social Movements, and Civil Society in Munich