The Palestinian question through the lens of national narratives in the Arab world: Syrian and Maghreb perspectives
Launch seminar for the project ‘The Conflictual Construction of Identity Narratives in the Post-Arab Spring Arab World’ (winner of the DÉCRIPT 2025 call for proposals)
Title: ‘The Palestinian question through the lens of national narratives in the Arab world: Syrian and Maghreb perspectives’
Summary: The Palestinian issue resonates strongly in Syrian society as well as in the Maghreb, albeit in very different ways. Syria is directly affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is home to a large refugee community. In the Maghreb, colonial history partly explains the cultural and political ties with the Palestinians and the populations’ support for the struggle to recognize their right to self-determination. The seminar will explore the similarities and differences and examine the effects of recent political developments (the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the resurgence of authoritarianism in Tunisia, and the wars against Lebanon and Gaza) on these dynamics.
Guests:
- Valentina Napolitano, research fellow at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), author of From One Revolution to the Next: The Palestinian Yarmouk Camp in Syria (1956–2019), Actes Sud-Sindbad, 2024.
- Adrien Thibault, researcher at the Institute for Research on the Contemporary Maghreb in Tunis (IRMC), coordinator of the special issue “Reflecting on the Palestinian Question from the Perspective of the Maghreb”, La lettre de l’IRMC, No. 38, August–September 2025. Reflecting on the Palestinian Question from the Perspective of the Maghreb.
Discussants: Alia Gana, Eric Gobe and Jérôme Heurtaux
Date and time: Friday 13 November, 10.00–12.00 (CET), Paris
Venue: Inalco Research Centre (2, rue de Lille, 75007) – Silvestre de Sacy Room
Format: hybrid (in-person and remote)
Contacts : View e-mail ; View e-mail
This seminar will be held in French.
