Power in History

Tokyo Midtown in Roppongi is where elegant Tokyoites, dressed in matching attire with their partners, dine in …

"Halal Food in Tokyo and Telling Better Stories about the West"

From 18 to 20 June 2025, Power in History had the honor to host the 12th annual conference …

"Widening the scope of political historiography: A brief report on the conference “How to Decolonize Political History” (Antwerp, 18-20 June 2025)"

Momenteel loopt in het MOU Museum te Oudenaarde een tentoonstelling die Margaretha van Parma (1522-1586) in de …

"Margaretha van Parma: Landvoogdes tussen vorstelijke belangen en stedelijke macht"

As a PhD candidate interested in how participative design practices can support social-political struggles, particularly in relation to the question of Palestine, I attended the presentation of Professor Emeritus Bernard Wasserstein with professional interest. For many years I have been working with Palestinian artists, designers and artisans and co-organised workshops with cultural and educational institutes in places like Ramallah, Birzeit, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and in 2015 in Gaza and Khan Younis. These experiences have provided an existential insight into the history, violence and impact of the occupation, as well as the continuous forceful silencing of Palestinian narratives.

The lecture of prof. dr. Bernard Wasserstein painted a broad historical picture of the political and geopolitical events underlying the Israeli-Arab conflict. In many ways the lecture followed the familiar patterns on how in introduction courses at the (under)graduate level (bachelor’s or master’s degree in Belgium) in universities and colleges around the world, the subject is, and has been, taught.

Op donderdag 16 mei gaf prof. Bernard Wasserstein op uitnodiging van het Instituut voor Joodse Geschiedenis, het Centrum voor Stadsgeschiedenis, Power in History en de Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte, een lezing getiteld "Israel/Palestine: Two States or One? A Historical Perspective. Na de lezing, die een ruim en gevarieerd publiek trok, ontspon zich een geanimeerde maar respectvolle discussie, die ook nadien werd verdergezet. Vier masterstudenten geschiedenis schreven een kritische tekst over de lezing, die wij graag integraal publiceren.