Ibrahim Abu-Lughod
| Ibrahim Abu-Lughod | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 15, 1929 Jaffa, British Mandate for Palestine |
| Died | May 23, 2001 (aged 72) Ramallah, Palestinian National Authority |
| Occupation | Academic |
Ibrahim Abu-Lughod (Arabic: إبراهيم أبو لغد, February 15, 1929 – May 23, 2001) was a Palestinian (later American) academic, characterised by Edward Said as "Palestine's foremost academic and intellectual" and by Rashid Khalidi as one of the first Arab-American scholars to have a really serious effect on the way the Middle East is portrayed in political science and in America". His student Deborah J. Gerner wrote that he "took on the challenge of interpreting U.S. politics and society for the Palestinian community as well as eloquently articulating Palestinian aspirations to the rest of the world."
Abu-Lughod was born and raised in Jaffa, a port city in what was then British Mandate Palestine. His father was a metal manufacturer. From his student days, he was involved in the Palestinian struggle; he demonstrated against the British and "skirmished" with local Zionist settlers. He completed high school in March 1948, after which he volunteered to work for the National Committee in Jaffa to discourage residents from leaving the city in the face of what Jamal R. Nassar describes as "Zionist assaults." His own family left only weeks later, on April 23 of the same year. Active in the resistance, he remained behind a bit longer, but on May 3, 1948, he left on the Belgian ship, Prince Alexander, "the last" ship out of Jaffa, headed to Beirut.
From Beirut (and, briefly, Nablus), he soon headed as a refugee to the United States, where he received his B.A. from the University of Illinois (1951), and a Ph.D. in Middle East studies from Princeton University (1957). Then he spent three years as a field expert in Egypt for UNESCO, where he directed the social science research department. He would later hold several United Nations consultancies.
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