Jude Abu Zaineh, an electronic arts doctoral student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was offered a Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) doctoral fellowship for her research project, “Home Is Where the Maqlouba Is: Understanding Palestinian diaspora through art, food, and technology.”

Through this $80,000 grant that will be awarded over four years, Abu Zaineh will continue her work studying the relationship between food and the concept of home through art.

Maqlouba is a traditional Palestinian dish of tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, meat, and spiced rice that Abu Zaineh describes as “an upside-down rice casserole.”

“I use maqlouba both as a metaphorical symbol and tool for survival,” Abu Zaineh said, “ensuring cultural legacy and resistance against colonial subjugation, as well as acts of preservation and healing through self and community care.”

Abu Zaineh is also a recipient of the 2020 William and Meredith Saunderson Prizes for Emerging Artists, and was one of the first selected artists to participate in a collaborative residency with the Ontario Science Centre and MOCA Toronto (Canada). She has presented her work nationally and internationally at sites including Cultivamos Cultura, São Luis, Portugal; Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia, Lisbon, Portugal; Centro de Cultura Digital, Mexico City, Mexico; School of Visual Arts, New York City, United States; and Forest City Gallery; London, Canada.

The Canadian SSHRC doctoral scholarships support high-caliber students engaged in doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities.