MONTREAL/June 30, 2004—
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation today announced that Concordia student David Mendelsohn has been named a 2004 recipient of the prestigious Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship. He is one of 14 new Trudeau Scholars, all of whom are doctoral candidates in the social sciences and humanities, are pursuing research touching upon one or more of the four themes of the Foundation: Human Rights and Social Justice, Responsible Citizenship, Canada and the World, and Humans and their Natural Environment.
Mendelsohn, who has already received two other degrees from Concordia (MA Archaeology/Linguistics, Honours BA Classical Studies), will pursue Islamic Studies at McGill University this fall. His research focuses on a major challenge that has rarely been addressed in the efforts to achieve peace between Palestinians and Israelis: the socio-linguistic factor.
ìDuring my three-year stay in Israel, I became close to a number of Palestinians with whom I practiced my Arabic while they improved their English," says Mendelsohn. "It was during that time that I became aware of two different cultures that both wanted peace but were incapable of finding the means to communicate that desire to each other in a respectful, believable manner. I have come to realize that there is important work to be done in the field of communication between the Palestinians and the Israelis. I intend to use my training in linguistics and my close familiarity with both cultures as a means of contributing to the peace effort."
The new scholars will participate in the first Trudeau Public Policy Conference, to be held in Montreal in October, on the theme "Ideas Move ó Sharing Knowledge across Cultural Boundaries and Security Barriers."
The Montreal-based Trudeau Foundation, established in 2002 as a living memorial to the late prime minister, encourages public debate and supports exceptional research on issues of public policy. Each year, up to 15 doctoral students are chosen through a highly rigorous selection process. As the premier doctoral scholarship in Canada for studies in the social sciences and humanities, each student receives $35,000 per year for up to four years plus an additional $15,000 annually to support research-related travel. Students are matched with mentors who are prominent national and international leaders in their respective fields.
http://www.trudeaufoundation.ca
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