It Could Happen Here Producing Knowledge on Palestine feat. Dana El Kurd
Nov 20, 2025
Dana El Kurd hosts Sherene Seikaly, a historian and editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies. They dive deep into the significance of Palestinian knowledge production and the journal's legacy. Seikaly reveals the founders’ mission to resist erasure and celebrate Nakba memory. The conversation tackles barriers faced by Palestinian scholars, including surveillance and harassment, and critiques media complicity in undermining critical thinking. They also discuss the intersectionality of the Palestinian struggle and the resilience of scholars rising to meet modern challenges.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Journal Founded As Resistance
- The Journal of Palestine Studies was founded in 1971 to create a lasting forum against erasure and denial of Palestinian history.
- Sherene Seikaly frames Palestinian knowledge production as an insistence on existence and historical continuity.
Palestinian Research Preceded Mainstream Narratives
- Palestinian scholarship often first documented key historical facts now recognized more broadly, like Plan Dalet's village destructions.
- Centering Palestinian knowledge challenges who is treated as a legitimate source in the broader discourse.
Surveillance Shapes Scholarly Rigor
- Palestinian scholars operate under constant surveillance and must be hyper-prepared and legally defensible in their words.
- These constraints have forced methodological rigor that Seikaly argues is the minimum standard for scholarship.
