Photography: © Sharif Sarhan
What is Insaniyyat?
Insaniyyat is a society of Palestinian anthropologists devoted to promoting anthropological inquiry among Palestinians and about Palestine and the rest of the world. It advocates the development of anthropological knowledge in diverse subfields and related ethnographic research, while always attuned to social and political justice. It aims to promote anthropological scholarship to various audiences in Palestine and beyond.
A Call to Action: Speak Out Against Israel’s Further Destruction of Palestinian Academic Freedom
14 May 2022
We members of Insaniyyat, the Society of Palestinian Anthropologists, call on you to join us in voicing your opposition to Israel’s most recent attempt to undermine Palestinians’ fundamental right to education, including the basic academic freedom and autonomy of our universities.
Insaniyyat Talks: Spring 2022
This series of meetings will be delivered in a format of seminar talks that will include a lecture and a discussion afterwards. We aim to bring together Insaniyyat members and other anthropologists into a conversation about recent ethnographic research in/on Palestine, and beyond. Lectures will be delivered in either English or Arabic, according to the preference of each speaker. All meetings will be conducted online to allow broad participation. Interested friends from other disciplines are also welcome to join.
In Commemoration of Nakba Day
20 May 2021
The year 2008 marked the first wave of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem (al-Quds), when Israeli settler organizations, backed by the Israeli state’s “legal system” and security forces, violently evicted 60 Palestinians from their homes. That year commemorated 60 years of the Nakba, the original ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland. Now 73 years old, the Nakba is very much ongoing.
Insaniyyat Featured in American Anthropologist
November 28, 2020
Read our feature article for "World Anthropologies" written by Khaled Furani. The article is published in the upcoming issue of American Anthropologist.
Public Statement: In Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
June 21, 2020
“I can’t breathe,” said George Floyd as he was murdered. We lost him, but we did not lose the truth that lives in his telling words. Just as with innumerable martyrs before him in the enduring struggle for justice, George’s words bear witness. They bear witness to the struggle for Black lives to be fully respected, always and everywhere. We in Insaniyyat affirm George’s testimony...