Internationally recognized scholar Dr. Sa’ed Atshan will visit ¶À¼ÒºÚÁÏ to present a lecture titled “Palestinian Christians: Past, Present, and Future.” The event will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, in the Centrum, Knutson Campus Center, and is free and open to the public.

Atshan is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. His research focuses on contemporary Palestinian society and politics, global LGBTQ social movements, and Christian minorities in the Middle East.

As Oct. 7 marks the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel and subsequent war in Gaza, Atshan’s role as a Palestinian Christian and a Quaker offers a unique perspective to deepen dialogue across campus and within the Fargo-Moorhead community.

Atshan’s visit is made possible by the Dr. Joseph Thompson Middle East Lectureship, an initiative dedicated to fostering greater understanding of Middle Eastern culture and issues, with a particular focus on Palestinian Arab perspectives. The lectureship has previously featured renowned figures, including Dr. Edward Said, Dr. Mubarek Awad, and Bishop Munib Younan.

About the Dr. Joseph Thompson Middle East Lectureship 

The Joseph Thompson Middle East Lectureship honors Joseph Thompson, a 1933 ¶À¼ÒºÚÁÏ graduate from Twin Valley, Minnesota, who from 1961 to 1977 guided the work of the Lutheran World Federation in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. The lectureship aims to bring to campus and the wider Fargo-Moorhead community “knowledgeable authorities on the Middle East, preferably of Palestinian Arab culture and background.”