Yael Warshel

Founding Director of the Children Media and Conflict Zones Lab, Assistant Professor (Penn State University), President Elect of the Association of Middle East Children and Youth Studies, and author of the five-time award winning book: “Experiencing the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict: Children, Peace Communication and Socialization”, published by Cambridge University Press. Topic: The Trauma of Internal Displacement: A Research project drawing a common thread line between Palestinian and Israeli children Since October 7, 2023, internal displacement has affected various sectors of Palestinian and Israeli society, with Gazans among the former and those from the north and south of Israel among the latter. This shared experience, varying in conditions, has become a defining aspect for the current generation of Palestinian and Israeli children, intertwining with broader societal and national narratives. This research project will result in a short child-led book targeting 5-8 year-old Palestinian and Israeli children in efforts to help them make sense of and work through the current trauma of displacement, and find means to move forward after the “war” “ends”. Importantly, most efforts targeting child trauma do not address displacement. Instead they draw upon traditional tools from psychology. This project uniquely departs from there by incorporating literature and knowledge about forced displacement in efforts to critically and constructively address the nature of such ongoing trauma, in order to find means to help empower children and become cognizant of displacement experienced by those with versus without statehood. Finally, drawing on recommendations made in Experiencing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Arab/Palestinian Israeli children will feature centrally in the book’s narrative -- both as characters in it and focus group respondents generating it, in efforts to encourage their leadership in fostering narrative bridges and brainstorming solutions across the ongoing displacement. Tasks: In this research project, the collaborating partner will contribute by illustrating the children’s book, participating in ongoing meetings taking place with the team writing the text for the book (separately in Arabic and Hebrew), and helping with generating the required formative research by leading and/or assisting with (separate) focus groups with 5-8 year old Palestinian, Jewish Israeli and/or Arab/Palestinian Israeli children that will serve as the basis for generating and fine tuning the text and images. Requirements: A Master’s or PhD Student, Research Assistant or Professor with a background in fine arts who has drawn for and about child subjects, is fluent in at least one, through preferably all three of the following languages: Arabic, Hebrew and/or English, and ideally familiar with Palestinian and Israeli culture/al studies and forced migration studies.