The development of cultural policies in Palestine takes place within a settler-colonial context marked by ongoing colonial hegemony and the absence of sovereignty and self-determination. This condition produces persistent uncertainty and instability, placing significant constraints on cultural sustenance, practice, and production.

In this talk, Yasmin Foqahaa, recipient of the Darat al Funun Dissertation Fellowship for Modern and Contemporary Arab Art (2025–2026), will explore the complexities of cultural policy development in Palestine and discuss methodological and theoretical approaches toward a context-specific understanding of these policies. The talk will also draw on her engagement with Darat al Funun’s archives, examining cultural production beyond Palestinian borders and reflecting on these insights through creative writing, which will be shared during the session.

The conversation will be held in Arabic.
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Yasmin Foqahaa is a Palestinian researcher and cultural practitioner with professional experience in both the cultural sector and the field of developmental research. She holds an MA in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. She is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Manchester's Institute for Cultural Practices, with a focus on cultural policy and settler colonialism in Palestine. Her most recent professional experience as Research Director for the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) focused on managing research projects related to gender, agriculture, economic empowerment, youth, child protection, feminism, culture, and other developmental initiatives in Palestine and the MENA region. As a freelance consultant, she supported several Palestinian cultural institutions in fundraising, resource development, strategic planning, and managing art projects, including Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Birzeit University Museum and Faculty of Art and Music, and Shababek Art Collective in Gaza in Palestine. Foqahaa co-authored and contributed to the research on arts and disability in Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon for the Disability Under Siege Project with the University of Birmingham. She was also a primary research assistant to the Arabic version of the book entitled: “The Origins of Palestinian Art” written by Bashir Makhoul and Gordon Houn.