Christian University in Oregon Welcomes Palestinian-American Scholar and Social Entrepreneur
Newberg, Ore. (Vocus/PRWEB) January 11, 2011
Nasser Abufarha, a Palestinian-American scholar and social entrepreneur, will present a free public lecture on the Newberg, Ore., campus of George Fox University on Wednesday, Jan. 19.
Abufarha, a guest of the university’s Center for Peace and Justice, will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 105 of the Hoover Academic Building. His lecture is entitled “Insisting on Life: Martyrdom and Fair Trade in Palestine.”
Abufarha is the founder of the Palestine Fair Trade Association and Canaan Fair Trade, which is bringing Palestinian olive oil and other traditional foods to mainstream American and European markets, while also improving economic conditions for more than 1,700 farmers in the West Bank. Canaan Fair Trade today is the largest exporter of certified fair trade and organic Palestinian olive oil to America and Europe.
“Fair trade isn’t just about the price,” Abufarha says, though he acknowledges that the increase in income has been vital to many farmers in Palestine. “We have given farmers hope. An economic exchange that recognizes Palestinian famers’ rights and respects the value of their connection to their land, after years of marginalization under Israeli occupation, is a major accomplishment.”
Abufarha is the author of “The Making of a Human Bomb: An Ethnography of Palestinian Resistance.” The book, described as “required reading” by the American Journal of Sociology, explains how geographic separation of Palestinians and mimetic actions to Israeli state repression will continue to be a source of violence until Palestinians can experience actual rootedness in their land and start to explore alternative exchanges between themselves and Israelis.
Abufarha earned his PhD in cultural anthropology and international development from the University of Wisconsin in 2006. His first book, which focuses on landscapes, the environment and violence, was published by Duke University Press in 2009.
To learn more about his visit, contact Melanie Newell at 503-554-2686.
George Fox University is ranked by Forbes as the top Christian college in the Pacific Northwest and among the top three Christian colleges in the country. George Fox is the only Christian university in the Pacific Northwest classified by U.S. News & World Report as a first tier national university. More than 3,400 students attend classes on the university’s campus in Newberg, Ore., and at teaching centers in Portland, Salem, and Redmond, Ore., and Boise, Idaho. George Fox offers bachelor’s degrees in more than 40 majors, degree-completion programs for working adults, five seminary degrees, and 11 master’s and doctoral degrees.
Contact:
Melanie Newell
Center for Peace and Justice
503-554-2686
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