University of Louvain welcomed Abeer Musleh on the 3rd week of October, at the invitation of Geoffrey Pleyers, professor of sociology at University of Louvain.
She spoke on Wednesday October 16 at the Sociology year opening conference. The next day she met the rector, Françoise Smets, and ended her visit on October 18 by participating in Elena Aoun's course on "the management of global turbulence" in Mons as part of the master's degree in political science and international relations.
Geoffrey Pleyers explains to us the reason for this invitation:
“It is traditional to invite a recognized sociologist for the opening conference of the academic year in sociology. Usually, we invite a European or North American sociologist. But it is important to show that sociology is produced all over the world, not just in the countries of the North: we have a lot to learn from our colleagues in the South of the planet, and in this respect Abeer Musleh's conference held all his promises. I am in regular contact with sociologists from all countries including Palestine and I am very admiring when I see that, despite such difficult circumstances, they produce quality research and continue to teach with motivation. Receiving Professor Abeer Musleh for this prestigious conference is a sign of support for her Palestinian colleagues and the social sciences they produce.”
We met Abeer Musleh and asked her a few questions about her work and her visit to University of Louvain:
Can you introduce yourself to the university community in a few words?
My name is Abeer Musleh. and researcher at Bethlehem University. My research focuses on youth within colonisation context, its impact on young people lives, structures and engagement. I do research with regard to youth as both practice and as a sociologist. My interest is in youth research, mainly within the understanding of the Palestinian context and how colonisation is impacting young people.
What was is the genesis of your visit in University of Louvain?
The connection started with Geoffrey Pleyers who is Professor at UCLouvain and also the president of the International Sociological Association of which I’m a member. He proposed me to be the speaker for the opening conference for the academic year in social sciences. But at the end we mostly talked about how we can build a long-term connection between the two universities so we can exchange knowledge.
Was it difficult logistically to organise the trip to come here because of the situation in Palestine? There were a lot of uncertainties about whether this visit would happen or not. Because I was not sure that I would be able to exit Palestine. It took me 24 hours to arrive because of the various checkpoints and crossing the border into Jordan, due to the current situation in region.
Why is it so important for you to visit UCLouvain, given the risk and difficulty of travel?
I think we share the same values. This is what I’ve seen from all colleagues who received me. We all talked about our responsibility toward humanity. Also, as a youth researcher, I have the responsibility to present alternative understanding for the Palestinian youth that stems from the youth voice and their perception about their lives and roles under colonization; They are victims of the war but they are still fighting for life. Most of the time we are seen only as victims, and we are not seen for who we really are. How we’re bringing hope. How we’re continuing life, despite all atrocities.
What are the key messages you want to bring to our university community?
We’re all responsible for what’s happening in the world. We’re responsible if we don’t speak up, if we don’t act. We can’t wait till the genocide and war are over. If we accept this genocide it will happen again. We all have a responsibility towards humanity not only the Palestinians. One way to stop it is also to support the colonised, and with that, education is important. By providing education we’re not only providing knowledge, we’re providing hope.
What did you expect from this visit?
I was so surprised with how many people were willing to receive me. I would tell you I didn’t expect to be so warmly welcomed. I am hoping that we can build cooperation between the two universities. I was looking to plant the seed for cooperation. What I see now is there’s more than that. The possibilities are strong for more than just a seed but also to make it grow.
Do think you concrete results will come out of this visit?
I expect so. The rector welcomed me and we shared a constructive discussion. The various social sciences teams were open to building cooperation, also colleagues individually, so I think we have a strong place to start from and I would expect a longer collaboration between the two universities.
You are working with young people in Palestine. What is their mindset right now?
There’s a lot of fear. But young people are carrying on. The atmosphere is not the best in Palestine, but just to see how they are day after day coming back to school, passing a checkpoint to go to school, and continuing their education—that’s a sign of hope. They’re creating their future even if they’re not always optimistic about it. They’re not just dreaming and staying at home. They’re dreaming and walking towards the future.