By Ellen Logan, MSc in Global Development
In March 2025, my colleague Alex Pettifer and I interviewed Nadia Naser-Najjab, Director of Palestine Studies at Exeter University and a leading scholar in Palestine Studies.
Originally from Palestine, Nadia began her academic journey at Birzeit University before undertaking her PhD in Middle East Studies from the University of Exeter. She was also a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, in the United States. Nadia’s research critically examines the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and diplomacy, with a particular focus on the asymmetries within dialogue initiatives and the limitations of People-to-People programmes within the broader context of Israeli settler colonialism.
During our conversation we discussed the discipline of Palestine Studies, and how Israel-Palestine can advance our understanding of broader issues related to settler colonialism and decolonialisation, as well as gender relations, conflict resolution, development studies and many more subjects. We spoke about how the tragic events of October 7th and the subsequent genocide in Gaza (as being investigated by the International Courts of Justice), cannot be evaluated without understanding the historical context of the Occupied Palestinian Territories – including settler colonialism and the apartheid system Palestinians live under. Nadia highlighted the importance of challenging the dehumanisation of Palestinians, as well as addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia. We all agreed Palestinian and Jewish safety goes hand in hand; peace cannot be achieved whilst one group is oppressed.
We concluded our conversation by emphasising the need for students, academics and members of the public to develop their understanding, and Nadia recommended a number of resources. Below is a full list of recommended reading and resources suggested by Nadia and our GDI Students for Palestine group.
We are very grateful to Nadia for sharing her time, ideas and experiences. She will be giving a lecture on 23 April 2025 as part of the GDI Lecture Series, where she will discuss The War on Gaza: Historical Context and Future Possibilities. More information can be found on the event page.
Recommended reading and resources
Books
Suad Amiry – Mother of Strangers
Omar Barghouti – BDS: Boycott, divestment, sanctions: The global struggle for Palestinian rights
Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappe – On Palestine
Angela Davis – Freedom is a constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the foundations of a movement
Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick – Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics
Rashid Khalidi – The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance
Basim Khandaqji – A Mask, the Colour of the Sky
Nur Masalha – Expulsion of the Palestinians: The Concept of “transfer” in Zionist Political Thought, 1882-1948
Nur Masalha – Palestine: A 4,000 Year History
Nadia Naser-Najjab – COVID-19 in Palestine: the settler colonial context
Nadia Naser-Najjab – Dialogue in Palestine: The People-to-People Diplomacy Programme and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Ilan Pappe – The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Edward Said – Orientalism
Other relevant authors
Documentaries
Palestine 1920: The Other Side of the Palestinian Story – Al Jazeera World
Online resources
https://decolonizepalestine.com/
https://visualizingpalestine.org/
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