Fobzu is delighted to announce that Professor Hala Khamis Nassar has been chosen from an impressive array of applicants to be the recipient of our very first Writing Residency for Palestinian scholars. Hala is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education at Bethlehem University, where she also holds the position of Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs in Teaching and Learning, and Director of the Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She received her PhD in Performing Arts and Middle Eastern Studies from the Free University in Berlin. She has published widely on the history of Arab theatre, with a particular focus on Palestinian cultural productions and drama.
Professor Nassar will spend her residency this summer in Oxford as an Academic Visitor at St Antony’s College. While in Oxford she will be completing her book on the history of Palestinian theatre. One of the first works of its kind, her book spans the late 19th century to the present and will explore the role of theatre and its various aesthetic forms in political and social transformation in Palestine and amongst Palestinians.
“The Middle East Centre is delighted to be welcoming Dr Hala Nassar to Oxford in the summer of 2019. Her work on the history of theatre in Palestine, and on commemorating the Nakba in particular, is of such relevance to the interests of the faculty and students of the Centre. Our archival collections on Palestine and the holdings of our library will be of real use to her as she writes up her findings,” Director of the Middle East Centre at Oxford, Professor Eugene Rogan announced. “We are also pleased to be engaging with the Friends of Birzeit University, which has a long association with the fellows of the Middle East Centre. We hope this visit is the start of a more regular exchange and we will work closely with Fobzu to build on these foundations.”
Anticipating her visit, Professor Nassar commented, “Such a life changing experience as this will not only enrich my scholarship, but also provide the space to write creatively and uninterrupted by the daily demands of teaching and administrative duties. I'm excited to share this wonderful history with everyone, and in particular with the broader theatre and arts world in Oxford, London and the UK."