April 28, 2006	Islamism in the Diaspora: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
	Dr. Are Knudsen
	Senior researcher Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), Bergen, Norway
	Recent years witnessed an increasing academic interest in Islamism in the Middle East, not least in the Palestinian Islamism championed by groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. There has been less concern with Islamism among the Palestinian refugees dispersed in Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. This seminar presents the findings from a study of Islamism among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, with special reference to the situation in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp ( Sidon). The seminar will also reflect on the methodological and ethical concerns of researching a sensitive topic ("Islamism") among a disenfranchised minority.