On 10 June 2023, the Institute of Women's Studies at Birzeit University organized its first meeting of graduates of its MA Program in Gender and Development Studies. Several founders of the Institute were present as well as faculty members in the program. The meeting was organized in order to strengthen communication among the graduates (more than 250 women and men) and with the ongoing work of the Institute and development of its MA program.
Dr. Rania Jawad, Director of the Institute of Women's Studies, welcomed the attendees and highlighted the significance of the meeting marking nearly 25 years of the Institute's MA program and the coming year marking the 30th year of the Institute's founding. Dr. Jawad attributed this long period of work to the founders of the Institute who made significant contributions in their scholarly fields and in Palestintian national and social life.
The Institute’s founders who were present -- Eileen Kuttab, Rema Hammami, Islah Jad, and Lamis Abu Nahleh -- elaborated on the history of the Institute for Women's Studies in the 1990s and its MA program that was initially focused on Gender, Law, and Development and later became the Gender and Development Studies program.
The graduates each spoke about their experiences during their study, many noting that the critical and analytical tools they gained had changed their perspectives and understandings of Palestinian realities and specifically those of women in our colonial context. Upon completing their degrees, many entered into the fields of gender and development and found employment in local organizations, while other pursued their PhDs and further expanded their research contributions to the field of gender and Palestinian studies. As graduates of the MA program and current faculty members, Amira Silmi, Lena Meari and Tahreer Al-'Araj shared their experiences at the time they studied and the changes they have seen in the program over the years.
The meeting closed with a MA alumni committee formed in order to further enrichen the relationship among graduates and between them and the Institute with regards to sharing MA research, participating in Institute events, and development of the program.
