Linda Tabar

Al Masyoon, Ramallah
Occupied Palestinian Territories
Email: lindatabar@hotmail.com or 109166@soas.ac.uk

Doctoral Candidate, Department of Politics and International Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (UK)

AWARDS & APPOINTMENTS
Visiting Research Fellow, Centre for Development Studies, Birzeit University, August 2010 - present

Doctoral Fellowship, Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, May 2003 – May 2005
Fieldwork Grant, Palestinian American Research Centre, June 2003
Appointed Visiting Pre-Doctoral Scholar, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, January 2003
Fieldwork Grant, British Council for Research in the Levant, June 2002

PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Lead Researcher
Research Project: Alternatives to Mainstream Development and Neo-Liberalism,
Center for Development Studies, Birzeit University Mar 2011 -

Lead the programme of research on alternatives to mainstream development and supervise five research papers, including one written by myself, exploring this wide problematic
Conceptualise the entire research programme and define the research areas, problems and case studies to be pursued as part of this project
Intellectually supervise the work by leading regular meetings with the researchers to flesh out and circumscribe each of their research topics, provide researchers with reading material, monitor their progress, comment on all of their written work and provide comments and suggests to strengthen the studies
Produce a research paper that examines the problems associated with humanitarian assistance to the occupied Palestinian Territories and explores alternative strategies and interventions

Visiting Lecturer
Institute for Women Studies, Birzeit University Nov 2010 – Dec 2010

Visiting lecturer, responsible for teaching the section on liberalism for the course “Concepts and Issues in Gender and Development”
Prepared four lectures on liberalism: introduction to liberalism, Schmitt’s critique of liberalism, liberalism and development and the feminist critique of liberalism
Marked student essays and final examination
Evaluated student participation and monitored student progress

Teaching Assistant
Department of Politics and International Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London Oct 2008 – Dec 2009

Teaching Assistant for “Comparative Political Sociology of Asia and Africa” 2008 – 2009 and “Nationalism, State and Ethnicity in Asia and Africa” 2009
Prepared teaching material and lessons for tutorials, and led student discussions in order to facilitate student learning
Graded student essays
Monitored student progress in coordination with the course convener

Author, Palestine Country Reports
Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist, London Mar 2008 – January 2011

Author of the country reports on the occupied Palestinian territories (produced quarterly)
Conduct comprehensive research identifying and analyzing the main political and economic developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip each quarter
Produce a country report that presents and summarizes the latest developments within domestic politics, foreign relations, economic policies and domestic economy of the Palestinian territories in a concise manner, and analyzes the significance and the implications of these developments

Research Consultant
United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and Stuttgart University Jan 2007 – June 2007

Designed a research project to evaluate the effectiveness of UNRWA’s policies and critically assess its humanitarian intervention to reconstruct Jenin refugee camp
Conducted extensive fieldwork for the project. Carried out in-depth interviews with Palestinian refugees in Jenin camp, the popular committees and local leaders in the camp, as well as local UNRWA staff and the donor who funded the project
Produced a paper presenting my qualitative date and analyzing the findings of my research
Presented my findings at a UN workshop where I critically assessed UNRWA’s polices and its humanitarian intervention in Jenin camp

Research Fellow
Muwatin the Palestinian Institute for the Study of Democracy, Ramallah Sept 2001 – Sept 2003

Wrote a chapter with Dr. Sari Hanafi (Senior Research Fellow) entitled “Donor Assistance, Rent Seeking and Elite Formation” for the book Corruption and State Formation in Palestine (see publications below)
Conducted fieldwork and primary research for my own research project and produced on a paper on collective memory, national identity and the Oslo process
Presented my research at international conferences, symposiums and workshops

Research Team Supervisor
Shaml, the Palestinian Center for Refugee and Diaspora Studies, Ramallah Sept 2002 – Dec 2002

Managed oral history project in Jenin Refugee Camp; designed the questionnaire and trained a research team comprised of ten interviewers
Supervised the collection of data, including all phases of the interviewing process and provided ongoing support and guidance for the field researchers
Led community consultations to seek community support and consensus for terms of reference of the research project, coordinated with the local community representatives as well the researchers involved in the project and incorporated their concerns and input