Beyond the Last Sky: Contemporary Palestinian Art and Experience
Images of the conflict in Israel/Palestine all too frequently make their way to our television screens, often relegating the voices and experiences of Palestinians to the sidelines. Contemporary Palestinian art practice allows for a new articulation of the Palestinian perspective, one that is otherwise too fraught with complexity for many international audiences to engage with.
Beyond the Last Sky is a conference that will accompany an exhibition of the same title. The exhibition is dedicated to contemporary Palestinian photography/video work, and it will be the first of its kind in Australia. Seeking to tease out the issues that are represented in the exhibition, the conference takes its name from the verse 'where will the birds fly after the last sky' in Mahmoud Darwish's poem The Earth is Closing on Us and Edward Said's book After the Last Sky from 1986.
Thinking of the conference and exhibition as the evolution of Said's book, one that sought to use documentary photography as a verification of Palestinian experience and existence, both events will explore how the use of critical humour in contemporary practice offers a new articulation of Palestinian experience and identity.
We are currently living through what might be described as a Palestinian cultural renaissance and although we have witnessed a rapid growth in the global profile of Palestinian arts, this has not yet been adequately represented in Australia. Given the UNESCO admission of Palestine as a member in 2011, the investigation of Palestinian culture, experience and identity must be recognized on Australian shores.
Sure to make participants question and engage, Beyond the Last Sky paves the way for a new insight into the political and cultural perspective and experience of Palestinians, revealing the capacity for humour to undermine stereotypes, facilitate understanding and explore notions of identity. Appreciating that the Palestinian experience is a global concern, the National Institute for Experimental Arts invites conference paper submissions from interested scholars working in any relevant fields.
Abstracts Due: June 1, 2012
Conference location: The University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia
Conference date: Saturday, 8th of September, 2012
Abstract submissions are for 20-minute presentations and should include a brief
biography of no more than 100 words and an abstract of 200 - 300 words, sent in
Word format. Submissions or enquiries should be directed to conference conveners
Chrisoula Lionis - c.lionis@unsw.edu.au
Dr. David McNeill - d.mcneill@unsw.edu.au
The First Al-Quds Composition Award
The first Al-Quds Composition Award will be presented by the new Al-Quds University College of Music, celebrating the cultural uniqueness of the city of Jerusalem. This year it will be supported by the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah.
It will be awarded and the winning submission performed during the Autumn Academy of Al-Quds University College of Music, Jerusalem, during October 2012. The Artistic director of the performances will be Anke Rauthmann, director of Berlin International Opera.
This new award aims to encourage the creation of high quality chamber music works which include elements of Oriental and Western European music combined with human voice.
Impossible Grace: The music should be inspired by and reflect on the following poem 'Impossible Grace'
by Meena Alexander, poet in residence at Al-Quds University, 2011:
I.
At Herod's gate
I heap flowers in a crate
Poppies, moist lilies --
It's dusk, I wait.
II.
Wild iris --
The color of your eyes before you were born
That hard winter
And your mother brought you to Damascus gate.
III.
My desire silent as a cloud,
It floats through New gate
Over the fists
Of the beardless boy-soldiers.
IV.
You stopped for me at Lion's gate,
Feet wet with dew
From the torn flagstones
Of Jerusalem.
V.
Love, I was forced to approach you
Through Dung Gate
My hands the color
Of the broken houses of Silwan.
VI.
At Zion's gate I knelt and wept.
An old man, half lame --
He kept house in Raimon's cafe,
Led me to the fountain.
VII.
At Golden gate
Where rooftops ring with music
I glimpse your face.
You have a coat of many colors -- impossible grace.
c. Meena Alexander 2012
(Published in TriQuarterly Online, January 2012)
Submission Details:
Deadline of submission: July 25th 2012
Maximum of instruments or voices involved: 4 (human voice is obligatory)
Title of the new piece: Impossible Grace
Composition prize: 1000 Euros
A panel of judges consisting of international composers and contemporary music experts will select the winning composition. The winning composer is expected to a!end the rehearsals and award concert. The cost of travel and accommodation will be covered.
Please send the score digitally or by post to:
Petra R. Klose
Al-Quds University College of Music
c/o Kunstler und Kulturprojekte
Marc Aurel Strasse 2a/6/8
1010 Vienna - Austria
Mail: petra@alquds.music.edu
The score must contain the composer's name, address, telephone number, e-mail and a brief biographical sketch. If a recording of the work is available, it should accompany the score.
The premiere performance of the winning composition will be presented in two concerts in Jerusalem in October 2012.
For further information please contact Ms. Petra R. Klose, Tel: +43 664 2549593 or +972 54 4687640. She can also be reached via email at petra@music.alquds.edu.
The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Award in Palestine Studies
The Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University's Middle East Institute is pleased to announce and to invite applications for the 2012-2013 Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Award, a post-doctoral fellowship in Palestinian Studies. The one-semester fellowship carries a stipend of $25,000 and the status of post-doctoral research fellow or visiting scholar at Columbia University, as appropriate. Deadline: February 3, 2012.
In order to apply, please download the following documents:
About The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Award in Palestine Studies
The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Award is a post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University. The award recognizes and seeks to foster innovative and ground-breaking scholarship on issues related to Palestine and Palestinians. The award will support a post-doctoral scholar working on a book project in any field of the humanities or social sciences.
The Fellow will spend one semester at Columbia University, pursuing her or his research and writing, and participating in the intellectual life of the Center for Palestine Studies at the Middle East Institute. In exceptional cases, as when research elsewhere is necessary for the completion of the project, shorter-term residence at Columbia (no less than 8 weeks during term time) can be considered. The Fellow will present a seminar paper in the Middle East Institute's colloquium series and may be invited to speak at other universities in the United States.
This award has been made possible by the generosity of Abdel Mohsin Al-Qattan, through the A.M. Qattan Foundation, in honor of his friend, the Palestinian scholar and intellectual, Ibrahim Abu-Lughod (1929-2001). Their close friendship began in the aftermath of the nakbah of 1948 and evolved into a shared commitment to justice for Palestinians to be realized in part through support for excellence in higher education and scholarship. In later years, upon the establishment of the A.M. Qattan Foundation in Palestine, Ibrahim Abu-Lughod helped found the Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development; one of the Foundation's core programs.
Opportunities Beyond Columbia
Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance Second Conference (LPHA), 5-6 March 2012
Call for Abstracts: Health of Palestinians inside and outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory
The Center for Research on Population and Health of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut, in collaboration with the Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) at Birzeit University, is pleased to invite submission of abstracts for presentation at its upcoming LPHA Second Conference Health of Palestinians inside and outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which will be held on March 5-6, 2012 at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. The first LPHA Conference was held at ICPH in March 2010.
The LPHA comprises a collaboration of Palestinian and international researchers, committed to the highest scientific standards in describing, analyzing and evaluating the health and health care of Palestinians, in order to contribute to the international scientific literature and to develop local evidence-based policy and practices. Activities include: developing scientific methods that are culture-specific; increasing capacity for research; advocacy, based on science; and promoting academic collaboration within the occupied Palestinian Territory, across the region, and the globe.
For the LPHA's Second Conference, a broad range of topics related to health and determinants of health of Palestinians living inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territory are welcome. Studies may focus on any issue relevant to Palestinian health, such as, but not limited to, communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, water and sanitation, health and human security, equity and health, the social determinants of health, health and human rights, demography and population, occupational health, mental health, refugee and internally displaced people and health, women's health, child health and protection, health services and access to health services, health system and health insurance, and professional education, training and development, among other topics.
Abstracts should be between 250-300 words in length, and written in English. They should be sent to the address below no later than December 20, 2011. Abstracts will be peer reviewed by an expert committee composed of local and international scientists. Participants will be informed of the acceptance of abstracts for presentation at the Conference in early January 2012. Authors of selected abstracts should submit a 20 minute presentation by email no later than February 15, 2012. Deadlines will be strictly adhered to.
If relevant to the type of presentation to be made, abstracts should include the following: a. Background b. Methods c. Findings d. Interpretation.
To submit abstracts and presentations, or for further information, please contact: Huda Zurayk, Professor and Director of the Center for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut at: hzurayk@aub.edu.lb.
PARC U.S. Faculty Development Seminar on Palestine
May 17-28, 2012 in Jerusalem and the West Bank
Application deadline: February 1, 2012
Award notification: March 20, 2012
PARC announces its third Faculty Development Seminar on Palestine. This 12-day seminar is for U.S. faculty members with a demonstrated interest in, but little travel experience to, Palestine. PARC will select 10 to 12 U.S. faculty members to participate in Jerusalem-based activities that will include lectures, workshops and visits to local universities and other related institutions in the West Bank. Through these activities, participants will learn about the region, deepen their knowledge of their particular fields of interest as they relate to Palestine, and build relationships with Palestinian academic colleagues.
Applicants must:
-Be U.S. citizens.
-Be full-time faculty members at recognized U.S. colleges or universities. Applicants may come from any academic discipline, including the humanities, social sciences, economics, law, health, and science.
-Have a demonstrated interest in Palestine.
-Have little travel experience to Palestine.
-Be willing to integrate their experiences from the seminar into their own teaching and/or pursue a joint research project or publication with a Palestinian colleague.
-Be a member of PARC.
PARC will make all arrangements for seminars, workshops, tours and meetings with Palestinian academic colleagues. PARC will also make arrangements and cover all expenses for in-country group ground travel, accommodations, and group meals. Personal and free day expenses will be the responsibility of each faculty member. Faculty members will need to provide their own international airfare. In cases of need, PARC will consider partial funding for international travel. For more information about this program, please visit PARC on the Web at http://parc-us-pal.org or send an email to us.parc@gmail.com. (Program contingent upon funding.)
PARC 2012-13 Fellowship Competition for U.S. Scholars
Conducting Field-Based Research on Palestine
Fellowship awards from $6,000 to $10,000
Full proposals due January 12, 2012
Awards announced March 12, 2012
The Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) announces its 13th annual competition for post-doctoral and doctoral research fellowships in Palestinian studies.
Important information about the fellowship competition:
-Research must contribute to Palestinian studies. Any area of Palestinian studies will be considered, including the humanities, social sciences, economics, law, health and science. Purely scientific research is not eligible for this fellowship competition.
-Research must take place in Palestine, Israel, Jordan, or Lebanon.
-PARC funding is for one year only.
-Applicants must be post-doctoral scholars, established researchers, or full-time doctoral students enrolled in a recognized degree program. Doctoral students must have fulfilled all preliminary requirements for the doctorate degree except the dissertation by the time the research commences. The fellowship will not cover tuition fees. Senior researchers without doctorates but with a record of academic publication are eligible. Applicants with a master's degree may only apply jointly with a post-doctoral scholar.
-Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Permanent residents are not eligible.
-Applicants must be PARC members. See the PARC website for membership information.
-Individual and joint research projects are eligible.
-Former PARC fellows who received grants in the last three years are not eligible to apply.
-Applications from women are especially encouraged.
In addition to sending all application materials by email to us.parc@gmail.com, applicants must send four copies of the full application (except for letters of recommendation) to: PARC, Penelope Mitchell, Executive Director, 6520 East Halbert Road, Bethesda, MD 20817-5414
For more information on PARC, PARC membership, and the application process, go to http://parc-us-pal.org/ or contact us at us.parc@gmail.com.
Palestinians who are not U.S. citizens should direct inquiries to: Dr. Hadeel Qazzaz, Palestine Director, at parcpal@gmail.com. Palestinian applicants must submit a pre-proposal to PARC's Palestine office by October 25, 2011.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State's Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau through an agreement with CAORC.