On Oct. 3 from 4-5:30 p.m., political science professor Anne Santiago will be facilitating a talk titled “History of Palestine-Israel: Understanding the Destruction of Gaza.”
The talk will be held in the Dundon-Berchtold Hall Room 131 and is open to all students, staff and faculty.
The event will cover historical background on the Israel-Palestine conflict and how it relates to current events in Gaza. A Q&A session with Santiago will follow.
Santiago, who is the Dundon-Berchtold Faculty Fellow for Constructive Dialogue, says she looks forward to helping students become more informed on the politics and history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“What I hope students really get out of it is a bit more of the complexity of the issues involved and the region, the players and most especially the history,” Santiago said. “I think to understand the present, you really need to understand the past.”
Santiago says she wanted to facilitate this event because of her passion for helping people learn about global conflicts, as well as the passion she sensed among her students to discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“A couple of students came to me and said, ‘Could we do something to understand this conflict, to try to bring more information to students?’” Santiago said.
Santiago encourages all students, faculty and staff to attend the talk with an open mind and to come with any questions they want answered.
“Having a bit of humility in understanding the complexity of what’s going on and why it’s going on [is important],” Santiago said. “And having humility in the sense of not making assumptions about individuals as members of a collective group.”
Additionally, Santiago encourages the UP community to keep an eye out for an upcoming art exhibit sponsored by The Garaventa Center. The exhibit, titled “Greetings from Palestine,” will be coming to the Buckley Center gallery on Nov. 3.
The art is by Kathan Zerzan and will include photographs her father took of the region in the 1960s.
Prior to the exhibit’s opening, The Garavanta Center will host a showing of “Arab and Jew: Return to the Promised Land” from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Brian Doyle Auditorium.
Santiago believes this Israel-Palestine talk is the beginning of a larger conversation about this conflict that she hopes will engage the UP community.
“Anytime students come to me and want to talk about something that seems contentious and difficult, that's what I'm here for," Santiago said. “That’s where understanding begins.”
Santiago encourages anyone with questions or a need for ADA accommodations during the talk to reach out to her at santiago@up.edu.
Rieve Randall is the Community Engagement Editor for The Beacon. He can be reached at randallr28@up.edu.
