How solidarity with Palestinians emerged in West Germany

Looking at the case of West Germany, this talk will show how migration and a global New Left led to developments in the 1960s that are still with us today.

Over the past three years, solidarity movements with Palestinians in Europe have been at the center of numerous controversial debates. But when and how did these movements first emerge? 

By focusing on West Germany, Joseph Ben Prestel of Roskilde University, will trace the origins of Palestinian solidarity to the late 1960s, showing how migration and the rise of a global New Left shaped its formation. 

The talk will highlight how many of the movement’s symbols - like the Kufiya - and the controversies around these movements still resonate today. Joseph Ben Prestel will demonstrate that a look at the long history of solidarity with Palestinians provides us with a better understanding of contentious politics concerning Israel and Palestine today.

About the lecturer

Joseph Ben Prestel is a postdoc at the Department of Social Sciences and Business at Roskilde Univeristy and author of the book “Emotional Cities: Debates on Urban Change in Berlin and Cairo, 1860-1910.”

• Free with sign up
• The talk will be in English
• Duration: 45 minutes + 15 minutes Q&A
• There is no elevator to the room.

Forskningens Døgn

Forskningens Døgn (The Day of Research) is a nationwide science festival that encourages meetings between researchers and citizens.