Page 11 - Ewire Winter 2020

Brown University Establishes Professorship in
Palestinian Studies

Brown University in Rhode
Island, Providence has
announced the establishment
of the first endowed
professorship in Palestinian
Studies at a U.S. research
institution.
When the Brown Corporation
announced in May that it had
approved the establishment of
the Mahmoud Darwish
Mahmoud Darwish Professorship in Palestinian
Studies and appointed Professor Beshara Doumani as the inaugural chairholder,
congratulatory emails flowed into Providence from both donors to the
professorship and supporters of Palestinian studies around the world.

Omar Masri, a director of the Munib and Angela Masri Foundation which is
supporting the professorship, wrote: “For many reasons, Brown is the ideal home
for this professorship, and we look forward to seeing the professorship prosper and
contribute meaningfully to Palestinian knowledge production on a national and
international scale.”
His words encapsulate the goal of nine different donors who came together to
fund an endowed professorship in Palestinian Studies at Brown: to produce
knowledge about the culture, history, and daily realities of the Palestinian people,
whether they remain in the region or are part of the diaspora beyond the Middle
East.

“The most important thing about the
chair is that the holder puts Palestinians
at the center of their research,
regardless of their geographical
location,” says Professor Doumani. “I
am very proud of Brown University for
taking the lead in institutionalizing a
field of study that recognizes the global
importance of the Palestinian
experience.”

Professor Beshara Doumani