Highlighted Session: Partnerships, Equity, and Solidarity in International Exchanges with Palestine

Group Submission Type: Highlighted Paper Session

Proposal

From 1948-1994 the National Party, the white minority political party, created, strengthened, and sustained the apartheid system in South Africa, severely limiting the rights, freedoms, and opportunities for those outside of the white minority. Legislation during this time limited all aspects of life through an often arbitrary classification system according to race. During this period, a sweeping series of legislation restricted rights to work, education, land ownership, political representation, and movement for anyone classified as nonwhite.
In the fight for control and power, the limitation of movement is often used to restrict access to locations, prevent gatherings and demonstrations, and repress the rights of individuals. This formal panel presentation seeks to look specifically at the restriction of movement in present-day Palestine, using the apartheid laws of South Africa as a general historical comparison and examining how international solidarity and action promote liberation. More specifically, however, this panel seeks to explore how movement restrictions in present-day Palestine limit opportunities within higher education, specifically in relation to international faculty and student exchanges and both inbound and outbound study abroad opportunities. Further, the authors and contributors present possible solutions that protect and promote opportunities in higher education while working within the current sociopolitical context of Palestine, including the use of digital tools to create virtual learning exchange opportunities. In examining virtual student exchanges and virtual study abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors consider not only how digital tools can be used in international learning exchanges when physical travel is not possible, but also the design of digital travel and exchange to create meaningful learning experiences. Using Gibson’s (1966) affordance theory, the authors examine the affordances international exchange can create in promoting solidarity and liberation among restricted populations as well as the affordances digital tools create in promoting these opportunities for international exchange when physical travel is not possible.
The three papers included in this proposal are the following:
Paper 1: Solidarity between U.S., South African and Palestinian Church Leaders: (Re)Engaging in the struggle against racism and apartheid.
Paper 2: Obstacles and Issues in Creating Study Abroad Partnerships in Palestine: A Conceptual Examination
Paper 3: Models and Frameworks for Virtual Study Abroad Partnerships

Paper 1 anchors this panel by providing foundational information concerning the power of international influence on the solidarity and liberation movements of oppressed peoples. Using both historical and present-day perspectives, this paper provides examples of the significance of Christian and interfaith organizations in creating cultures of solidarity with oppressed populations and assisting in liberation movements. It demonstrates the roles and significance these organizations can play in shaping solidarity efforts. This paper will revisit the history of solidarity in the international struggle for liberation of American Africans, South Africans and Palestinians against racism, colonialism, Jim Crow and Apartheid from the 1970s to the present. The author will analyze speeches, press releases, resolutions and other historical documents of Palestinian, South African and U.S. church leaders and reflect on his own participation in international ecumenical and interfaith efforts of the National Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the development of the Kairos call for Justice, Peace and Reconciliation. He will also reflect on his personal experience living in the Occupied West Bank from 2018-2019.
Paper 2 takes this larger sociopolitical context and applies it to international faculty and student exchanges, exploring the obstacles and political processes that face faculty and students specifically in Palestine who wish to study overseas as well as international students wishing to study in Palestine. Current research in study abroad typically focuses on the obstacles individuals face when choosing to study internationally, including issues of both social and financial capital; this paper, rather, focuses on the larger sociopolitical issues that make physical travel arduous at best and impossible at its worst.
Paper 3 shifts the panel from context to concept, suggesting digital tools as a way to bridge the current geopolitical gap. This conceptual piece uses examples of virtual study abroad from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as current best practices using digital tools in academic experiences. This piece goes further, however, as it also looks at programmatic design as a key feature in the possibility of creating international virtual exchanges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergent need to continue international student exchanges and study abroad opportunities facilitated the extensive expansion of virtual exchanges, study abroad opportunities, and internships. This emergency need, however, can now be tempered by intentional design decisions, thus strengthening opportunities to create meaningful learning experiences. This paper examines both the tools and the methodologies of implementation to create a holistic collection of opportunities that may be used, depending on availability and best-practice, given the educational goals considered.
The authors and contributors of all three pieces acknowledge the conceptual nature of this panel and plan to use it as a guide in future research. To avoid the NGO-ization of this liberation movement and promote equity between researchers and participants, the researchers are currently focusing on exploring the needs and opportunities that exist for both physical and digital exchange within one academic program at a university in Palestine. This allows for opportunities to deeply explore the potential for both modalities of exchanges while taking into consideration the unique needs and affordances of the location. As a formal panel presentation, we submit this as a conceptual piece; as we continue this work with this university and others moving forward, we acknowledge our responsibility and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring all contributors and participants are positioned as co-creators with us in the research process. Our goal in this work is to examine the larger sociopolitical issues surrounding educational student and faculty exchanges with and in Palestine and suggest possible solutions, including the use of digital tools to create meaningful international education experiences, supporting educational needs as well as our dedication to equity, solidarity and the liberation movement of Palestine.

Sub Unit

• Middle East and North Africa SIG

Chair

• Jade Jehad Halawani, George Mason University

Individual Presentations

• Solidarity between U.S., South African and Palestinian Church Leaders: (Re)Engaging in the struggle against racism and apartheid - Tyrone Pitts, Progressive National Baptist Convention

• Obstacles and Issues in Creating Study Abroad Partnerships in Palestine: A Conceptual Examination - Abbey Jones, George Mason University

• Models and Frameworks for Virtual Study Abroad Partnerships - Jade Jehad Halawani, George Mason University; Dawn Hathaway, George Mason University

Discussant

• Shelley Wong, George Mason University