American University of Beirut

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The Suliman S. Olayan School of Business and the Palestine Land Studies Center at the American University of Beirut are pleased to invite scholars, researchers, and academics to submit proposals for scholarly papers or case studies to be presented at the International Conference on Com​merce, Business, and Leadership in pre-1948 Palestine.

This conference aims to investigate various aspects related to commerce, business practices, labor relations, and leadership in Palestine during the specified period and their impact on the Palestinian and neighboring societies. The conference aims to foster interdisciplinary connections leading to a better knowledge of the region's historical economic and business activity.

Submissions can be made in English or Arabic - تقبل المساهمات بإحدى اللغتين العربيّة ​أو الإنكليزيّة

​CONFERENCE BACKGROUND

Palestinian commercial activity was vibrant, benefiting from the central geographic and cultural position of various Palestinian cities and towns. Far from the notion of a “land without people," tracing commercial activity during the pre-1948 period reflects a society full of life and economic activities that were going on for centuries. 

“All the documents and surveys conducted in the second half of the 19th century, and anthropological studies at the beginning of the 20th century, document an active life open to the world: institutions developing and growing, an active private sector, thriving craft industries, and a rapid transformation into modern cities." - Nazmi al-Jubeh, a historian and lecturer at Birzeit University*.

Within that spirit, this conference focuses on business and commercial activities and their multiple interrelated connections with and implications for Palestinian and neighboring societies.​

TOPICS

Topics to be discussed include, but are not limit to, the following:

​SUBMISSION GUIDELINE