Negotiating Israeli and Palestinian Identity

Author Sayed Kashua, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, has been praised by the New York Times as “a master of subtle nuance in dealing with both Arab and Jewish society." He writes, with irreverence and humor, about cultural identity, living as a minority, and politics. Kashua is the author of four books: Dancing Arabs (2002); Let it be Morning (2006); Second Person Singular (2010) - also published as Exposure (2013); and Native: Dispatches from an Israeli-Palestinian Life (2016). Kashua also was the subject of a 2009 documentary titled Sayed Kashua - Forever Scared.  As well as being a newspaper columnist, Kashua has also created the hit TV sitcom Avodo Aravit (or in English, Arab Labor).  An adaptation on Kashua's first novel (Dancing Arabs) was released under the title A Borrowed Identity (2014) by director Eran Riklis.  Director Eran Kolirin is currently in the works of producing an adaptation of Kashua's second novel (Let it be Morning) to be released under the same title.  Kashua is currently a resident of St. Louis, Missouri and a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis in the Program of Comparative Literature - and most recently served as a Hebrew Instructor for the Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Languages & Cultures.

This event is cosponsored by the Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Near Eastern Languages & Cultures, University Libraries, and the Center for Diversity & Inclusion.