Sunday, April 8, 2012

On Tuesday: Conflict and Coexistance

Wish you could have been in Naor Ben-Yehoyada's class this semester but didn't get to take it? Come hear him speak at Hillel on Tuesday!

Conflict and Coexistence:
The Historical Anthropology of Israel/Palestine

talk and discussion with Naor Ben-Yehoyada, Department of Social Anthropology
7-8:30PM on Tuesday, April 10
Smith Hall Harvard Hillel

Hosted by the Harvard College Progressive Jewish Alliance, http://harvardpja.blogspot.com/

We will discuss how historical anthropology can illuminate the processes that since the late 19th century shaped both conflict and coexistence in Israel-Palestine. The talk will focus on the relationships between land, labor, social structure, colonization, and national consciousness among Jews and Arabs before 1948. We will then see how these dynamics shaped culture and society in Israel to this day. For example, how did the Zionist project transform religious identity and community into national belonging? How were Hebrew, Palestinian Arabic, and other present languages changed and how did they interact in daily life and cultural projects?

Naor Ben-Yehoyada is a Visiting Lecturer and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in Harvard’s Anthropology Department, Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and a Visiting Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He studies the historical anthropology of region formation in the Mediterranean, and this spring, teaches a seminar on Political Economy as well as a class called Conflict and Coexistence: Historical Anthropology of Israel/Palestine.

PJA Endorses Responsible Investment at Harvard

PJA has officially endorsed the Responsible Investment at Harvard Coalition!

The campaign is demanding that the Harvard Management Company:

1. Create a Social Choice Fund that prioritizes investment opportunities which promote the social good and yield high returns
2. Create a transparent policy to incorporate environmental, social and governance due diligence into all aspects of the investment portfolio
3. Disclosure mechanism for past investments
4. Strengthen the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility and the Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility
 They have launched The Fair Harvard Fund, a campaign urging Harvard to accept a social impact fund as part of its endowment. You can learn more and support the campaign at fairharvardfund.com and responsibleharvard.com!