The class and gender dimensions of the Palestinian prisoners movement and their implications for the national liberation project

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Summary:

This proposed research project addresses the class and gender dimensions of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and their implications on national liberation in Palestine. This is achieved through an in-depth engagement and study with Palestinian female prisoners, examining their class positionalities, orientations, and personal/political experiences during the period between 1967 and the present. This research project explores transformations in class dimensions intersecting with gender dynamics across different historical stages of the Palestinian national project(s). With a critical and inclusive eye on the vast literature produced about colonialism, incarceration and imprisonment in Palestine, despite the richness in writings by male and female prisoners and academic studies on incarceration, this study aims to offer an analysis of the often-overlooked class and gender dynamics of the prisoner movement and their connection to the national liberation project. The importance of studying the class dimensions of Palestinian female prisoners lies in understanding and analyzing the class and gender composition of actors in the national liberation movement and the class-oriented perspectives of the organizations that constitute the national liberation movement during different historical stages. The stages considered in the literature as used in the framework of the research are: 1967-1976; 1976-1987; 1987-2000 (the First Intifada and including Oslo Agreement and subsequent “Oslo process”); the Second Intifada; and the Post-Second Intifada until the present.

Impact:

This research project adopts a feminist approach through in-depth engagement with the voices and stories of Palestinian female prisoners who were incarcerated in different historical phases. This study explores the class backgrounds, class biases, and class-oriented perspectives of Palestinian female prisoners, examining their affiliations with organizations and the impact on their experiences and activities inside and outside prisons. The researcher's personal experience as a former prisoner who was imprisoned for several years over the course of a number of iterations enables her to observe and interact with Palestinian female prisoners, reflecting on their experiences and sharing her own. Jarrar began this intellectual and political journey in her previously published study on the women’s prisoners movement (Jarrar & Jarbouni, 2016). The final outcome of the research project is intended to result in a scholarly article or a chapter in a book.

The Independent Commission for Human Rights issued this research paper. The paper was prepared by the volunteer researcher at Muwatin Institute, Khalida Jarrar, and reviewed and edited by Muwatin team.

Summary: 
This proposed research project addresses the class and gender dimensions of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and their implications on national liberation in Palestine. This is achieved through an in-depth engagement and study with Palestinian female prisoners, examining their class positionalities, orientations, and personal/political experiences during the period between 1967 and the present. This research project explores transformations in class dimensions intersecting with gender dynamics across different historical stages of the Palestinian national project(s). With a critical and inclusive eye on the vast literature produced about colonialism, incarceration and imprisonment in Palestine, despite the richness in writings by male and female prisoners and academic studies on incarceration, this study aims to offer an analysis of the often-overlooked class and gender dynamics of the prisoner movement and their connection to the national liberation project. The importance of studying the class dimensions of Palestinian female prisoners lies in understanding and analyzing the class and gender composition of actors in the national liberation movement and the class-oriented perspectives of the organizations that constitute the national liberation movement during different historical stages. The stages considered in the literature as used in the framework of the research are: 1967-1976; 1976-1987; 1987-2000 (the First Intifada and including Oslo Agreement and subsequent “Oslo process”); the Second Intifada; and the Post-Second Intifada until the present.
Impact: 
This research project adopts a feminist approach through in-depth engagement with the voices and stories of Palestinian female prisoners who were incarcerated in different historical phases. This study explores the class backgrounds, class biases, and class-oriented perspectives of Palestinian female prisoners, examining their affiliations with organizations and the impact on their experiences and activities inside and outside prisons. The researcher's personal experience as a former prisoner who was imprisoned for several years over the course of a number of iterations enables her to observe and interact with Palestinian female prisoners, reflecting on their experiences and sharing her own. Jarrar began this intellectual and political journey in her previously published study on the women’s prisoners movement (Jarrar & Jarbouni, 2016). The final outcome of the research project is intended to result in a scholarly article or a chapter in a book.
Duration: 
01-08-2022