The institute was established in 1998 as the Graduate Institute of International Studies, with a variety of outreach programs, student and faculty conferences, and a specialized library around the masters program in international studies created in 1994. It was renamed in 2002 in honor of its founder, Professor Ibrahim Abu-Lughod (1929-2001). The IALIIS houses Palestine's first and only graduate program in international studies offering an integrated, interdisciplinary MA. Its academic purview has now expanded to include two concentrations or minors in the field: forced migration and refugees, and diplomacy. It is also the venue for Birzeit's Palestinian archive project (BZUPAP). In the extracurricular domain, we offer training, research and publication opportunities for students and faculty, as well as regular international and local conferences, workshops and symposia. With its ever-expanding library and online resources, constantly updated, interactive website, posted student and faculty in-depth analyses and specialists' policy papers, the Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies is a valuable Palestinian resource for global reflection and advocacy.
Our Mission and Vision
Our mission is to contribute to knowledge and development in Palestine, particularly in relation to a global environment with which the country is asymmetrically engaged. Weak and oppressed peoples need to make up for structural inequalities by maximizing their skills in the understanding and conduct of a long-term asymmetrical political, economic and legal struggle. To this end, we offer a demanding and integrated graduate program in international politics, history, law and economics leading to the Master of Arts degree in international studies, along with optional specializations in forced migration and refugee studies, as well as diplomacy. We likewise place great importance on the ongoing capacity building of administrative, research and teaching staff as well as students and recent graduates. We publish peer-reviewed research as a matter of institutional policy. The Institute regularly contributes to community awareness and education through ongoing outreach activities. Finally, we are part of a large network of local, Arab and international academic cooperation.
Our vision is to remain a focal point of international studies at Birzeit University and in Palestine, to continue to attract the best graduate students from all parts of Palestine and beyond, to conduct pioneering, always critical, frequently comparative scientific research on global issues, including notably those related the evolution of international society, forced migration and refugees, regional and diplomatic studies, international humanitarian and human rights law, as well as peace and conflict resolution studies.
For more, see PowerPoint Presentation IALIIS brochure.
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