With funding from the Wenner-Gren Foundation and logistical support from the Palestinian American Research Center, we conducted an organizational development workshop from January 5-7, 2017 in Jericho, Palestine. This workshop brought 25 anthropologists (including three international advisory board members) based in seven countries around the world to launch a country-less association of Palestinian anthropologists. This historic workshop was a great success in bringing together a dispersed community and embarking on a long and challenging road. It served to make bare common concerns and themes in anthropological work by and on Palestinians, congeal our community, and create structures for carrying out the tasks necessary for building our association.

The first day of the workshop was dedicated to intellectually mapping the terrain of past, current, and future imaginings of anthropological inquiry in and on Palestine. This discussion helped set the stage for addressing the seminal question, why Insaniyyat? The next two days were dedicated to practical dimensions of setting up our association.

The workshop established a number of organizational teams responsible for the following areas: legally registering our association; drafting our mission statement and vision; proposing a set of bylaws, including defining our membership policy; deliberating and constructing an on-line presence; devising internal communication processes; establishing a code of ethics; fundraising; proposing activities; drafting an elections schedule; and conducting internal and external outreach.