Graduate Student, Institute of Islamic Studies
Thesis Title: In the Presence of Absence: A History of the Future of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon 1993-2000
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Laila Parsons
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About
When Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin met in Washington D.C to sign the Oslo Accords on September 13th 1993, it was a monumental occasion. While the international community applauded the agreement, many within the Palestinian camp felt betrayed. The parameters set by the Declaration of Principles gave preference to the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories over the millions of Palestinians living in the diaspora. Thus the Palestinian refugees outside the Occupied Territories felt marginalized. This sense of marginalization was intensified by the fact that the final status arrangements, that included the issue of the refugees, had been put aside for discussion following the five-year interim period. Of all the Palestinian refugees living outside the Occupied Territories those in Lebanon felt the most vulnerable. The Palestinian refugees in Lebanon as well as many segments of the Lebanese population feared that the Oslo process would lead to the resettlement of the refugees in the country. While the official process, however, put the question of the refugees and their Right of Return on the shelf, there was a significant conversation happening on the so-called 'third-track.' This dissertation examines this track, which was comprised of three major conferences that took place during the Oslo interim period. Drawing on the papers and reports that were generated by these conferences, in addition to interviews with some of the participants, the dissertation tells the story of how third-track participants thought about the future of the Palestinian refugees during the Oslo process.
It's pretty depressing stuff.
I am also interested in intersections between Islamic identity and hip hop, primarily in the North American context and amongst recently-migrated communities. Affects of post-9/11 counter-terrorism policies on Islamic charities and the affects of pornographic discourse on veiled Muslim women also float my proverbial academic boat.
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