Rabab Abdulhadi Explained

Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi
Birth Place:Nablus, State of Palestine
Alma Mater:Hunter College,
Yale University
Occupation:Scholar, activist, educator, editor, academic director
Employer:San Francisco State University
Known For:Palestinian diaspora, Palestinian activism, Palestinian women's studies, Sociology

Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi (born 1955) is a Palestinian-born American scholar, activist, educator, editor, and an academic director. She is an Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies, Race and Resistance Studies, and the founding Director of Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies (AMED) at San Francisco State University (SFSU).[1] [2] She is a controversial political figure, which is in part due to larger political issues around her field of study.

Early life and education

Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi was born in 1955 in Nablus, Palestine, into a Muslim family.[3] [4] [5]

She received a B.A. degree (1994) in Women's studies from Hunter College;[6] followed by a M.A. degree (1995), M. Phil. degree (1998), and Ph.D. (2000) in Sociology, all from Yale University.[7] Abdulhadi's dissertation, under advisor Michele Dillon, was titled, "Palestinianness in Comparative Perspective: Inclusionary Resistance, Exclusionary Citizenship" (2000).[8] [9]

Career

From 2004 to 2006, she served as the founding Director of the Center for Arab American Studies, and as an associate professor of sociology at University of Michigan–Dearborn.[10]

In January 2007, she joined the faculty at San Francisco State University. Since her hire in 2007, Abdulhadi has been the only faculty within her department, much of which has been supplemented by student research assistants, visiting scholars, and lecturers over the years. In 2018, Abdulhadi formally filed a lawsuit and complaints, and has stated she was promised two faculty positions, at her time of hire.[11] [12]

Abdulhadi has routinely come under fire by Zionist and pro-Israel groups such as the David Horowitz Freedom Center, the AMCHA Initiative, Campus Watch, and the Lawfare Project.[13] Posters at SFSU have circulated multiple times, featuring caricatures of Abdulhadi's likeness in derogatory manner, as well as implying Abdulhadi was involved in terrorist organizations.[14] In 2017, the SFSU Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS), and the Black Student Union (BSU) have stood with Abdulhadi and expressed disappointment in how then-university President Leslie E. Wong, and the on-campus police handled the hate speech.

In 2017, the mayor of Jerusalem was to give a speech on the SFSU campus, and was met with student protests. A group of Jewish students accused the school of encouraging antisemitism, led by Abdulhadi and her "anti-Zionist statements".[15] The issue went to court and 2018, a federal judge found no evidence of discrimination.[16] This event was covered by US national media.[17]

In 2019, Abdulhadi was co-hosting an online talk using SFSU's instance of Zoom by Palestinian political activist and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Leila Khaled. The night before the event, the university informed Abdulhadi that Zoom would not allow SFSU to use Zoom for the talk, stating that the talk contravened the Zoom terms of service.[18] Though the event was shifted on the scheduled day to YouTube, that shift only lasted for 23 minutes before YouTube shut down the stream, similarly stating it went against YouTube's terms of service.[19] Facebook also shut down the event page, claiming violations of its policies. The United States government considers The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to be a terrorist organization. The Leila Khaled event added to the tense national news debate on the "boundaries and consequences of freedom of expression", and had SFSU President Lynn Mahoney fielding questions about her support and/or lack of support for the Middle Eastern studies program.[20] [21]

She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[22]

Publications

Books

Articles and chapters

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Egelko . Bob . 2022-03-15 . Tensions over ethnic studies continue at S.F. State as president vetoes faculty decision siding with professor . 2022-07-29 . San Francisco Chronicle . en-US.
  2. Web site: Lyons . Jenna . 2016-10-18 . SFSU officials condemn posters targeting professor . 2022-07-29 . SFGATE . en-US.
  3. Web site: Reproductive Rights – Global Feminisms Project . 2022-07-29 . The Institute for Research for Women and Gender (IRWG), University of Michigan.
  4. Web site: Trent . Paisley . December 1, 2020 . The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on Campus . 2022-07-29 . Golden Gate Xpress.
  5. Book: Pogrund, Benjamin . Drawing Fire: Investigating the Accusations of Apartheid in Israel . 2014-07-10 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1-4422-2684-5 . 175–176 . en.
  6. Book: Habib, Samar . Islam and Homosexuality [2 volumes] ]. 2009-11-12 . ABC-CLIO . 978-0-313-37901-7 . 485 . en.
  7. Book: Meeting of Board of Regents: Agenda . May 2004 . The Board . University of Michigan Board of Regents . en.
  8. Book: Brown . Nathan J. . Palestinian Politics After the Oslo Accords: Resuming Arab Palestine . Brown . Canada Research Chair in Poetics and Assistant Professor of English Nathan . 2003-11-03 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-24115-2 . 305 . en.
  9. Leusmann . Harald . 2001 . Recent (1999-2001) Doctoral Degrees in Middle East Studies . Middle East Studies Association Bulletin . 35 . 2 . 279–296 . 10.1017/S0026318400043960 . 23063529 . 164423046 . 0026-3184.
  10. News: 2004-06-13 . Yemeni official to address seminar . 46 . Detroit Free Press . 2022-07-29.
  11. Web site: Flaherty . Colleen . March 21, 2022 . Palestinian scholar accuses SFSU of broken contract promise . 2023-11-15 . InsideHighered.com . en . Abdulhadi may be an especially easy target, as she’s a controversial figure in an already controversial field..
  12. News: Gloster . Rob . 2019-01-31 . Palestinian SFSU prof's lawsuit alleges discrimination, JCRC influence . 2022-07-29 . J. . en-US.
  13. Web site: Palumbo-Liu . David . Marc Lamont Hill and the Israeli lobby on US campuses . 2022-07-29 . Aljazeera.com . en.
  14. Web site: Murillo . Kelly Rodriguez . September 28, 2017 . Hate speech posters cover SF State, again . 2022-07-30 . Golden Gate Xpress.
  15. News: Waxmann . Laura . 2018-08-09 . Jewish students renew efforts to sue SFSU leadership over alleged anti-semitism . A6 . The San Francisco Examiner . 2022-07-29.
  16. News: Egelko . Bob . 2018-10-30 . Judge dismisses suit accusing San Francisco State of anti-Semitism . 2022-07-29 . San Francisco Chronicle . en-US.
  17. Web site: March 2, 2018 . U.S.-Israel Relations and Middle East Policy, Free Speech Panel . 2022-07-29 . C-SPAN.org.
  18. News: Allyn . Bobby . November 23, 2020 . All Things Considered: 'Welcome To The Party, Zoom': Video App's Rules Lead To Accusations Of Censorship . en . NPR . 2022-07-30.
  19. Web site: Keating . Joshua . Is Zoom More Like the Phone or Facebook? . Slate . 2 August 2024 . http://web.archive.org/web/20201218140308/https://slate.com/technology/2020/12/zoom-free-speech-rabab-abdulhadi.html . 18 December 2020 . 18 December 2020.
  20. News: Mahoney . Lynn . 2020-09-14 . S.F. State president: I condemn hate but cherish a diversity of opinions . 2022-07-29 . J. . en-US.
  21. Web site: Hoffer . Shira . 2021-07-21 . Safe and Free: Envisioning a New Guide for Speakers on Campus . 2022-07-29 . Harvard Political Review . en-US.
  22. We stand in solidarity w/ @DemSocialists member @AbdulhadiRabab in her struggle against SFSU's attacks on her & @AmedStudies. Join us in signing Dr. Abdulhadi's petition & contacting SFSU officials to demand an end to their anti-Palestinian hostility.. ncvdsa . 1701052779626946842 . 2023-09-10.