By: Brenda Winn and Devin Pafumi
Over the last week of September, Global Studies Professor John Collins traveled to Palestine to serve as the keynote speaker for a conference on “Living, Consuming, and Action in Glocal Palestine.” This international conference, sponsored by the French Institute for the Near East and An-Najah University aimed at “Gather[ing] speakers from different backgrounds in order to confront various approaches, open and enrich the discussions: at the crossroads between art and science, research and action [to] create the frame for a dialogue between social sciences and the works of artists, architects as well as the new actions and philosophy of citizen and activist.”
At the conference, there were scholars from France, Mexico, Italy, Palestine and the U.S., as well as representatives of civil society, including local organic and permaculture farmers. The conference provided an opportunity for these local community members and scholars to engage in a dialogue- a powerful tool that this world could use much more of.
Prof. Collins gave the keynote address at the conference. He based his address on his most recent book, “Global Palestine,” which explores the question of what Palestine can teach us about larger processes of globalization. His keynote was about popular defense and how local communities can defend themselves against the impact of global processes such as colonization, securitization, and accelerated forms of global violence. By explaining what is happening in particular communities and then connecting these examples to the global level, he explored the changing nature of the conditions under which popular defense can take place. This is especially important in Palestine where violence is an everyday reality for people living under Israeli military occupation. A new level of crisis has been met with the tragic events occurring on the Gaza strip this past summer.
In particular, Prof. Collins made connections between the North Country and Palestine. He discussed the utilization of surveillance technology, like the cameras that were just installed on traffic lights on Main Street in Canton. He also talked about the police killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and how this event provides a basis for solidarity with Palestinians. He explained how citizens in Palestine were actually sending advice to protesters in Missouri on how to deal with tear gas. Finally, he talked about the location of Canton being close to the border, and how checkpoints here and in Palestine are shaping our lives. Prof. Collins also expressed his opinion that Palestine can be a glimpse into the future as issues that are emerging in the U.S. and elsewhere have been present in Palestine for many years already.
One of the most fascinating aspects of his trip was the role he saw local women playing in processes of popular defense. Many women have found innovative and creative ways to move their community forward in a time of serious setbacks.
On the local level, women are taking action in many ways. One great example is an organic co-op women set up by women in Palestine to support the local economy, feed their community, and boycott Israeli products. They realize it is much more sustainable and beneficial to retain and build upon their traditional forms of agriculture and social organization, while also drawing on positive aspects of globalization. The global capitalist system is traditionally patriarchal and tends to privilege masculine forms of knowledge, but women and girls in Palestine are finding ways to exert control over their own lives by participating actively in their own “glocal” contexts.
While Palestine may seem to be far away, SLU actually has some old ties to the area. Prof. Collins told a story of how he stopped in a ceramics shop in Jerusalem and started talking to an artist, who turned out to have studied here at SLU many years ago. The history of this SLU-Palestine connection started with the late Dr. Daniel O’Connor, a professor of Religious Studies who often did research in the region and who helped bring Palestinian students to continue their education in Canton. This just goes to show that “global” news can hit a lot a closer to home than the word suggests.