The Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at Birzeit University
was established in 1975. Historically, the department played a leading
role in introducing students to intellectual and cultural issues that
proved to be of paramount importance for the critical development of
their thinking.
From it's early days, the department consisted of many prominent
philosophers, political scientists and historians, who strove to
influence the intellectual environment, especially at a time when the
university as a whole participated in both, resisting the Israeli
occupation as well as playing a role in the emergence of institutions
that were essential for the Intifada and the building of a Palestinian
state.
Apart from its academic role which sought to introduce students to ideas
that would broaden their intellect and encourage them to seriously
engage in critical and constructive thinking, the department managed to
shape the university's intellectual and political atmosphere. The forum
with which the department provided the students enabled many of them to
become the intellectuals and political actors of the future, and
empowered them to influence their society's political and social
conscience.
The department puts great emphasis on exposing the entire student body
of the university to ideas that will actively enable them to engage in
the emergence of a civil society and a more plural and democratic
society. Recent activities at the University have shown the results of
this.