A Liverpool Hope University academic has spoken of his pride after receiving honorary membership of a prestigious writers’ union for his work in the Middle East.
Professor Michael Lavalette is Dean of Hope’s School of Social Sciences and has a long-standing research interest in Palestine.
He co-authored the 2011 book Voices from the West Bank: Young People Living Under Occupation.
And his Palestinian Cultures of Resistance, released last year, profiled the life and work of four great Palestinian cultural figures.
Hope’s School of Social Sciences has run regular field trips to the West Bank and also recently profiled artwork from youngsters living in Palestine through the heart-rending online gallery Hope and Resistance: Through Palestinian Children’s Eyes.
For his continued work in shining a light on Palestinian plight, Professor Lavalette was this week made an honorary life-long member of the General Union for Palestinian Writers.
He’s just the second ever non-Palestinian to be given such an award and was handed the accolade at a special ceremony held in the Mahmoud Darwish Museum, Ramallah, Palestine.
Mahmoud Darwish is a celebrated Palestinian poet who passed away in 2008, and is one of the influential figures profiled in Prof Lavalette’s Palestinian Cultures of Resistance.
Prof Lavalette said: “I’m incredibly proud and honoured to be given this award by the Palestinian Writers Union and I thank the Union for its generosity in welcoming me once again to Palestine.
“Hope’s School of Social Sciences and I look forward to continued collaboration and friendship in the years ahead.
“And we’re hoping to announce a unique new writing initiative, in conjunction with the Palestinian Writers Union, in the coming weeks.”
Prof Lavalette’s trip to Palestine was marked by violent clashes across the West Bank, an all too familiar part of everyday life for people living there.