Philosophy in a Palestinian Context

Experience the Episode

Presented by Notre Dame Jerusalem

Join Avraham Burg, Sari Nusseibeh, and Daniel Schwake as they delve into Sari’s new book, The Scout, or Philosophy and Us. The book is one of the first ever philosophy books written in Palestinian Arabic and explores the application of the philosophical method, particularly in the context of Palestinians. Recorded in front of a live audience during a workshop on the language of conflict, the group’s conversation asks not only how the book came to be but also why Daniel and Sari felt it was so important to convert it into an Arabic-language podcast series. Along the way, hear from Sari as he discusses his own philosophical journey and the benefits philosophy provides to each of us and, specifically, to the Palestinian community.

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Meet the Speaker: Avraham Burg

Thinker, writer and peace activist, Avraham (Avrum) Burg began his political career in the movement against the Lebanon War. He continued on to a long political career where he served in a variety of public positions including in the Knesset as a member of the Labor Party, Speaker of the Knesset, and Chairman of the Jewish Agency.

Mr. Burg is the author of several books including God is Back, The Holocaust is Over; We Must Rise from its Ashes, Avishag, and Very Near to You. He writes articles on current affairs that are published in major newspapers around the world. In addition to serving as an adjunct faculty member at The University of Notre Dame’s Jerusalem Global Gateway, he also teaches at NYU Abu Dhabi and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

Meet the Speaker: Sari Nusseibeh

Dr. Sari Nusseibeh served as President of al-Quds University 1995-2014. Dr. Nusseibeh earned his first degrees at Oxford (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics); and his PhD at Harvard in Islamic philosophy (’78). Dr. Nusseibeh began his teaching career at Birzeit University (’79-’92).

He is the author of several books – including The Story of Reason in Islam, Once Upon a Country, and The Scout, or Philosophy and Us – and articles in both Arabic and English.

Dr. Nusseibeh has also been involved in political life, mostly in search of a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Meet the Speaker: Daniel Schwake

Presented by Daniel Schwake

Dr. Daniel Schwake was appointed the executive director for the University of Notre Dame in Jerusalem in April 2019. Schwake joined Notre Dame after a decade in the consulting industry. He most recently held the position of principal (associate partner) in the strategy consulting firm Oliver Wyman. He provided advice to top executives of large corporations, financial institutions, regulators, and ministries. He has led the execution of high profile engagements across the globe, covering a wide range of topics, including enterprise-wide strategy, financial planning, risk and regulation, reorganization, and restructuring. Previously, Schwake held a similar position with Deloitte and had previously also worked in asset management with Deutsche Bank Group.

He holds a B.Sc. and Diploma (M.Sc.) in business administration from the University of Münster, and a doctorate in economics from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Schwake speaks fluent English, German, Arabic, and Hebrew.