Over the last two centuries, *knowledge has been categorized and limited by the academic system through its methods of certification and verification. This has led to the exclusion of a broad range of skills, abilities, and wisdom based on lived and rooted experience. The result is the packed knowledge provided by educational institutions which ignore the need to search for information through experience. Moreover, this has denied a very valuable process that accompanied theory, that is, the path of trial and error which paved the way for all social, economic and health sciences before they began to rely entirely on mathematical equations.

In the words of Imam Ali, a person’s worth depends on what he does well. We believe that each person has a value worthy of contributing to a collective work and this value is not limited to certificates, degrees and institutional honors.

Contributors: Qussay Abu Aker, Nedaa Hamouz, Bisan Al-Jaffari, Ahmad Al-Lahham, Ayat Al-Turshan.

*The Collective Dictionary is a series of publications containing definitions of concepts. The terms proposed are those considered fundamental for the understanding of the contemporary condition of Palestinian refugee camps. These words have emerged as a result of actions and active dialogs with the camp community. Written reflections on personal experiences, interviews, excursions and photographic investigations constitute the starting point for the formulation of more structured thoughts. The Collective Dictionary is both the reference and conceptual framework for all Campus in Camps projects and interventions.