Why Memory Matters in Palestine and Beyond
An image from the 1948 Palestinian exodus, known in Arabic as the Nakba.
Photo credit: CPA Media Pte Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
Why Memory Matters in Palestine and Beyond is a two-part initiative designed to help Sites of Conscience and their allies build a better understanding of what has led to the situation in Palestine today, encourage critical thinking, and inspire action towards building more peaceful societies everywhere.
Well over a year has passed since the attacks of October 7, 2023 and the subsequent atrocities committed against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The horrific nature of the violence is evident in numerous reports and statements, including those issued by the International Court of Justice, the United Nations and Amnesty International, among many others. The situation could not be more urgent, particularly in Gaza where 90% of the population has been displaced, tens of thousands have been killed or injured – the majority of whom are women and children – and global food security experts are warning of a man-made famine. Immediate action is clearly needed to stop this catastrophic onslaught.
So why is the world failing to stop these atrocities? What are the driving forces that have led to this current situation? What is needed to confront this? In this conversation series we explore these questions and more through the lens of memory – which is core to the work of all Sites of Conscience.
The first part of Why Memory Matters in Palestine and Beyond includes six recorded conversations – available as both a podcast and a video series on ICSC’s YouTube channel – with guest speakers from academia and the fields of human rights and cultural heritage. Available on January 13, 2025, the discussions focus on the root causes and false narratives that have led to today’s atrocities in Palestine.
The second part is a live, three-day webinar taking place January 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2025 that brings together Sites of Conscience members and partners who have faced related injustices in Bangladesh, South Africa, Northern Ireland and elsewhere to reflect on the six conversations and share their experiences offering communities spaces for truth-telling, critical reflection and dialogue in even the most dire settings. To register for this event, please click here.
Our hope is that these conversations help us all build a better understanding of what has led to the situation in Palestine today, encourage critical thinking, and inspire action towards building more peaceful societies everywhere.
For more information, or to get involved, please reach out to coalition@sitesofconscience.org.
Conversation Series
The series Why Memory Matters in Palestine and Beyond will be available on January 13, 2025, at 9:00 AM EST.
To listen on your preferred podcast platform, please click here. To watch the series on YouTube, click here.
The video series Why Memory Matters in Palestine and Beyond is currently subtitled in Arabic, French, Spanish and Turkish.
Conversation 1: On the Use and Misuse of History and Memory
Speaker: Ilan Pappé
Israeli Historian and Director of the European Center of Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter
Conversation 2: Commemorating Atrocities: From Competitive Memories to Memories for Peace
Speaker: Marianne Hirsch
William Peterfield Trent Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature and Gender Studies at Columbia University; Former President of the Modern Language Association of America
Conversation 3: Racism, Islamophobia, and the Weaponization of Antisemitism
Speaker: Sahar Aziz
Distinguished Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers Law School; Founding Director of the Center for Security, Race, and Rights
Conversation 4: The Role of Media
Speaker: Yara Hawari
Co-Director of al-Shabaka, a Palestinian policy network founded in 2010 as the first and only independent transnational Palestinian think tank
Conversation 5: Gaza and Palestinian Cultural Heritage and Memory
Speaker: Sahera Bleibleh
Researcher, Planner, and Architect
Conversation 6: Preserving Heritage and Collective Memory to Resist Erasure
Speaker: Zaki Aslan
Cultural Heritage Specialist and Founding Director of ICCROM-Sharjah Regional Conservation Centre in the United Arab Emirates (served for 21 years)
Webinar Series
This three-day webinar, taking place on January 21-23, 2025, is part two of ICSC’s initiative aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the ongoing crisis in Palestine and inspiring global action for peace. The webinar will bring together Sites of Conscience members and partners from Bangladesh, South Africa, Northern Ireland, and beyond, to reflect on the root causes of the atrocities committed against Palestinians, the false narratives that sustain them, and the role of memory in confronting such injustices. Participants will share their experiences offering communities spaces for truth-telling, critical reflection, and dialogue, even in the most dire settings. The discussions aim to inspire critical thinking and action toward building more peaceful societies.
January 21: Memory for Peacebuilding
Panelists:
Cate Turner, Healing Through Remembering, Northern Ireland
Lebogang Marishane, Constitution Hill, South Africa
José Antequera, Former Director, Centro de Memoria Paz y Reconciliación, Colombia
January 22: Preventing Race-Motivated Atrocities and Promoting Racial Justice
Panelists
Steven Harageib, Conversations for Change, Namibia
Raiss Tinmaung, Rohingya Human Rights Network, Canada
Nayat Karaköse, Director of Programs, Hrant Dink Foundation, Turkey
January 23: Strategies to Preserve Tangible and Intangible Heritage and Collective Memory
Panelists
Heather George, Woodlands Cultural Centre, Canada
Ihor Poshyvailo, Maidan Museum, Ukraine
Andrea Plician, Casa de la Memoria Kaji Tulam, Guatemala