In recent years, attitudes in the United States toward the Palestinian cause have shifted dramatically. Although Palestinians have long been demonized in U.S. media and politics, their struggle portrayed as illegitimate, emergent progressive voices increasingly challenge the status quo on Israel and Palestine and express solidarity with Palestinian resistance. What accounts for this change and its evolution?
This book provides a new lens on activism around Palestinian issues, demonstrating how the global Palestinian diaspora has driven transnational political movements. Karam Dana explores the ways that exile has shaped Palestinian identity and allowed for new forms of global activism. He examines the social, political, economic, and technological forces that have created space for Palestinian voices to be heard by wider audiences worldwide. Drawing on interviews with scholars and advocates--including members of the Palestinian diaspora and Jewish American activists--as well as public opinion data and media analysis, Dana traces how global Palestinian communities have influenced American views. He addresses the backlash against pro-Palestinian advocacy but argues that solidarity with Palestinians--both in the United States and globally--will continue to strengthen.
Timely and insightful, To Stand with Palestine offers an inside look at how Palestinians have shared their story with the world and why sympathy for their plight is growing, with significant implications for the global political landscape.
Dr. Karam Dana is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside Fadi Kafeety, executive director of The Jerusalem Fund & Palestine Center, to share more about “how Palestinians have forged and maintained a resilient transnational identity, the political role that diaspora communities play in their host countries and their countries of origin, and how young activists worldwide have come to carry the torch for justice in Palestine” (George Bisharat, author of Palestinian Lawyers and Israeli Rule). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Dr. Dana will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of TO STAND WITH PALESTINE will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
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Dr. Karam Dana is Professor and the Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professor of Excellence & Transformative Research at University of Washington Bothell and the Founding Director of The American Muslim Research Institute (AMRI). He studies political identities and transnationalism, with a focus on Muslims in the US and Palestinians in transnational spaces. As an interdisciplinary scholar, he explores the intersections of religion, identity, and politics, addressing issues affecting marginalized communities. His recent book, To Stand With Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States, examines the changing discourse on Palestine and Israel in the U.S. Dr. Dan has been widely recognized. He received several awards, including the UW 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award, the UW Bothell 2023 Distinguished Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activities Award, and the 2024 Leadership and Outstanding Service Award from the Arab American Community of the Pacific Northwest.
Fadi Kafeety is the executive director of The Jerusalem Fund & Palestine Center in Washington, DC.
