Belonging to Palestine: - A study of the means and measures of Palestinian women's belonging to their state and nation
Author
Holm Granerud, Julie
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2012
Submitted on
2012-06-28
Pages
90
Abstract
This thesis explores how Palestinian women assert their political belonging to Palestine amid Israeli occupation and limited access to formal decision-making. Rather than asking why women are oppressed, it asks how they act politically to make belonging visible. Drawing on feminist approaches to citizenship and broad definitions of the political, the study identifies three arenas where belonging is expressed: formal political participation, protest and demonstration, and mothering. The analysis uses observations, interviews, and secondary sources to consider women’s practices in relation to both Israeli power and Palestinian institutions. Findings indicate that participation is present but often lacks recognition and visibility; that affiliation is oriented toward the national community more than the state; and that acts of citizenship vary with women’s positions. By tracing these practices, the thesis shows how women stretch boundaries between public and private and, in doing so, expand what counts as citizenship and political belonging in Palestine.
Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan palæstinensiske kvinder hævder deres politiske tilhørsforhold til Palæstina i en kontekst præget af israelsk besættelse og begrænset adgang til formelle beslutningsprocesser. I stedet for at spørge, hvorfor kvinder undertrykkes, spørges der, hvordan de handler politisk og gør deres tilhørsforhold gældende. Med udgangspunkt i feministiske perspektiver på medborgerskab og brede definitioner af det politiske identificerer studiet tre arenaer, hvor tilhørsforhold udtrykkes: formel politisk deltagelse, protest og demonstration samt moderskab. Analysen anvender observationer, interview og sekundære kilder til at belyse praksisser i relation til både israelske magtforhold og palæstinensiske institutioner. Resultaterne peger på, at kvinders deltagelse ikke mangler, men ofte mangler anerkendelse og synlighed; at tilknytningen i høj grad er rettet mod det nationale fællesskab snarere end staten; og at medborgerlige handlinger varierer alt efter den enkelte kvindes position. Ved at følge disse praksisser viser afhandlingen, hvordan kvinder udvider grænserne mellem det offentlige og private og dermed betydningen af medborgerskab og politisk tilhørsforhold i Palæstina.
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