At 7:30PM today in 309 Havemeyer, the Center for Palestine Studies (CPS) will be publicly launched. In keeping with our Edward Said-worshipping “bastion of academic freedom” reputation, this development will make Columbia the first university in the country to house a center for Palestinian studies.

The creation of CPS honors Columbia professor of forty years and all-around legend Edward Said and his scholarly achievements. It will aim to promote “the production and circulation of knowledge of Palestinian history, culture, society, and politics in diverse scholarly fields, including history, literary studies, the social sciences, religion, philosophy, law, archaeology, the arts, and architecture,” and will encourage exchanges with “scholars, students and academic institutions in the West Bank and Gaza, and others in the Palestinian diaspora.” The CPS is located in Knox as part of the Middle East Institute. Read more about it here.