PalREAD – Country of Words: Reading and Reception of Palestinian Literature from 1948 to the Present
| Principal Investigator: | Prof. Dr. Refqa Abu-Remaileh |
| Ethics Advisor | |
| Funding: |  |
| Term | 01.04.2018 — 31.03.2023 |
PalREAD – Objectives and Aims
PalREAD aims to tell the story of Palestinian literature by tracing, collecting, mapping and analyzing the development and evolution of Palestinian literary and cultural production and practices from 1948 to the present across various Arab, European, American, and Latin American & Caribbean countries.
The project aims to take a holistic approach to researching authors and literary texts: their trajectories, production, reading sites, reception, and circulation. We will seek to gather Palestinian literature-related material on authors and their literary works (focus on first editions); literary/cultural publications (newspapers, magazines, journals); auto/biographies; book art; Letters; images; transcripts and audio of speeches/lectures; as well as pamphlets & brochures from political party publications & posters; radio and TV broadcasts of literary/cultural programs; literary events, conferences, symposiums & meetings; literary awards; literary cafes/salons/spaces; publishers; distributers; bookshops; related films; related art, museums and galleries; and ephemera.
For this, PalREAD will tap into private and public libraries, collections and archives as well as those from political parties, cultural and national institutions and foundations.
Using the tools of Digital Humanities, material gathered will be made publicly accessible on the project’s searchable online platform. The portal will feature:
- Interactive timeline
- Interactive maps
- Author biographies and related literary works
- Podcasts/interviews with authors and cultural figures
- Links to relevant online sources
Press releases about PalREAD
2017: Starting Grant for PalREAD - German
2020: Literary detective - Article about Principal Investigator Prof. Dr. Refqa Abu-Remaileh - English
