The Enduring Power of Palestinian Transnational Identity and Activism: A Discussion with Maha Nasser and Karam Dana

Today on Speaking Out of Place I am delighted to have Professors Maha Nasser and Karam Dana in conversation.  Dr. Nasser is author of Brothers Apart: Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Arab World; Professor Dana’s new book is entitled, To Stand with Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States. Together, these two studies offer a fascinating account of the historical and present-day formation of transnational Palestinian identities, and the way that these complex histories inform today’s struggles for Palestinian liberation and rights, by both Palestinians and non-Palestinians. We talk about the importance of language, the arts, and especially poetry, as well as contemporary cultural forms. We take on the violence of settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and capitalism, and the importance of finding paths of solidarity while never losing sight of what is distinct about Palestine and Palestinians.

Dr Karam Dana is a Palestinian American Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Washington Bothell. He is the Alyson McGregor Distinguished Professor of Excellence and Transformative Research and the founding director of the American Muslim Research Institute. His research examines the evolution of transnational political identities and their impact on civic engagement and political participation, with a focus on Palestinians and American Muslims. As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr Dana explores the intersections of religion, identity, and politics, addressing persistent theoretical and policy issues affecting marginalized communities. His work is centered on understanding how ethno-political, socio-cultural, and religious identities are formed, evolve, and adapt under shifting socio-economic and political conditions. He recently published book is titled To Stand With Palestine: Transnational Resistance and Political Evolution in the United States, which examines the evolution of discourse on Palestine and Israel in the United States in recent years. Dr Dana is the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Teaching Award at the University of Washington and the 2023 Distinguished Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activities Award. In 2024, the Arab American Community of the Pacific Northwest presented him with the Leadership and Outstanding Service Award.

Dr. Maha Nassar is an associate professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona, where she specializes in the cultural and intellectual history of Palestine and the 20th-century Arab world. Her award-winning book, Brothers Apart: Palestinian Citizens of Israel and the Arab World (Stanford University Press, 2017), examines how Palestinian intellectuals inside the Green Line connected to global decolonization movements through literary and journalistic writings. Her scholarly articles have appeared in the Journal of Palestine Studies, Arab Studies Journal, and elsewhere. A 2018 Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project, Dr. Nassar’s analysis pieces have appeared widely, including in The Washington Post, The Conversation, +972 Magazine. As a 2022 non-resident fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace, she joined FMEP in developing public programming for their Occupied Thoughts podcast. Dr. Nassar’s current book project examines the global history of Palestine’s people.