Ibrahim Makkawi Memorial

The Community Psychologist Podcast

November 1 is a time in which many cultures venerate their ancestors. Ancestor veneration is a way to maintain continuity and connection between past, present, and future. For example, in the African diaspora, Fêt Ghede is one such form of veneration. An African ancestor in psychology is Frantz Fanon, yet this revolutionary influenced many people beyond the African diaspora. He influenced ancestors such as Paolo Freire and the subject of this episode: Ibrahim Makkawi. Like Fanon, Makkawi was active in anti-colonial struggles for liberation movements. He “mapped out cartographies for our movements into Palestinian decolonial states of being” (Atallah & Masud, 2022, p. 195). Ibrahim was at the forefront of establishing a decolonial community psychology in Palestine, establishing the Community Psychology master’s program at Birzeit University and revolutionizing the praxis of psychology in Palestine. Ibrahim’s impact extends far beyond academic accomplishments. Those who knew him best testify to his impact on their lives and his lifelong commitment to Palestinian liberation. Our guests for this episode are Hana R. Masud (Adjunct Professor), Ferdose Salmah (Birziet University, ⁠https://www.birzeit.edu/en/faculty-staff/fardous-salameh⁠), and Asrar Kayyal (Doctoral Student, ⁠[e-mail]⁠, ⁠https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/asrar-kayal⁠).

Atallah, D. G., & Masud, H. R. (2023). Returning home with Dr. Ibrahim Makkawi: Toward Palestinian decolonial states of being. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 29(2), 194–201. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000669⁠

Hosted by Dominique Thomas & Allana Zuckerman

Edited by Dominique Thomas