Dr Kholoud al-Ajarma

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Kholoud holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology and Comparative Study of Religion from the University of Groningen (Netherlands). Her PhD thesis focused on the socio-cultural embeddedness of Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) in Moroccan everyday life. During her Ph.D. studies, she worked as a lecturer at the University of Groningen and delivered several courses including ‘Anthropology of Muslim Societies’, ‘Islam: History, Sources, and Practices’, and ‘Minorities in Contemporary Europe’. Her current research focuses on water resource management and contemporary environmental concerns in the Muslim World.

Kholoud received her MA in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from Coventry University (UK) and her Mphil in Anthropology and Development from the University of Bergen (Norway). In addition to her academic experience in anthropology and religion, Kholoud has worked in the fields of refugee studies, gender, youth development, migration, human rights, and environmental justice in several countries of the Mediterranean region including Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco. She was a Chevening visiting fellow at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) and peace fellow of the MENA cohort fellowship programme of the United Nations Allience of Civilizations (UNAOC).

Kholoud is also an award-winning photographer and film-maker who has extensive experience developing and leading programs and projects among refugee communities, including innovative platforms for human rights research and media production among young refugee youth.

Selected publications:

Book Chapters

“Power in Moroccan Women’s Narratives of the Hajj.” In Muslim Women's Pilgrimage to Mecca and Beyond. Reconfiguring Gender, Religion, and Mobility edited by Marjo Buitelaar, Viola Thimm, and Manja Stephan-Emmrich: Routledge 2020.

“The Colonizer and Gendered Economic Violence: the impact of prolonged Israeli occupation in Palestine on women's economic survival.” In Continuities of Gendered Violence in Conflict Making Political Economy Visible Insights by Young Feminist form the Global South, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), 2020.

Published Articles:

“Youth Water Cooperation in the Mediterranean: Challenges and the Way Forward.” The Euro-Mediterranean Study Commission (EuroMeSCo): October 2019.

“Human migration and environmental pressures: open issues and possible solutions.” Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI). 2019.

“Pilgrimage to Mecca: Gifts, Souvenirs and Stories from Palestinian Pilgrims.” ZemZem: Journal of the Middle East, North Africa and Islam, 1, 2018. (In Dutch).