Solidarity at Risk: the Politics of Attachment in Transnational Queer Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Pinkwashing Activism
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Solidarity at Risk: The Politics of Attachment in Transnational Queer Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Pinkwashing Activism by Natalie Kouri-Towe A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Social Justice Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Natalie Kouri-Towe 2015 Solidarity at Risk: The Politics of Attachment in Transnational Queer Palestine Solidarity and Anti-Pinkwashing Activism Natalie Kouri-Towe Doctor of Philosophy Department of Social Justice Education University of Toronto 2015 Abstract Solidarity is at risk. The provocation that frames the title of this project aims to intervene in the theorization of solidarity and the practices of transnational solidarity activism in the 21st century. As a scholar embedded in the field, I take up the question of solidarity at risk to examine the practices of the transnational queer Palestine solidarity and anti-pinkwashing movement (the queer Palestine movement for short). In an era structured by the ideologies of neoliberalism, where free market globalization, privatization and individualism are reshaping the public sphere, the terms and practices of solidarity are shifting. Yet, theories of solidarity have remained embedded in older political frameworks, rooted in early social movement practices in the Marxist tradition or liberal democratic models of civic engagement. In a world changed by neoliberalism, we need new interpretive frameworks for analyzing and practicing solidarity today, not least because contemporary social movements require new ways of envisioning activist solidarity. ii Neoliberalism has also changed the geopolitical landscape of human rights. In what some queer theory scholars have called homonational times, we find the political stakes of queer solidarities embedded in the changing discourses of sexual rights. Looking at examples of solidarity at risk in the queer Palestine movement, this project maps the political stakes of homonationalism and neoliberalism in social movement practices. Examining cases of solidarity at risk in the queer Palestine movement, this project moves through various theories of solidarity: from transnational feminism, to political theory and philosophy, to queer and affect theories of social and political transformation. Across all these fields, I consider what binds us in solidarity, how our political attachments are important threads in theorizing solidarity, and how we might rethink our models of solidarity to sustain our political imaginings in neoliberal and homonational times. iii Acknowledgments There is no real way to demonstrate or adequately acknowledge the deep influence of Dina Georgis on this work. I am grateful for her supervision, and her influence on my thinking, my voice, and my writing is unquantifiable. As graduate students, we are lucky if we find a supervisor who molds us gently, reshapes our minds with empathy and compassion, and applies pressure to our wounds to help the healing when we are broken into this profession. Working under Dina’s supervision has been a transformative experience in both my work and my life. Her mark is imprinted across this project and I will carry her orientations to the intellectual and affective qualities of academic work with me for the rest of my life. I want to express my deep gratitude for Sara Matthews, my second reader, who has inspired and fueled my faith in building meaningful practices into teaching and research. Sara’s political work, her aesthetic interventions, and her critical insights have guided my imaginings of political research and action. I would also like to thank my third reader, Rinaldo Walcott, for his ineffable ability to see the shadows haunting my project. His comments on my work and his way of simultaneously reassuring me and absolutely destabilizing me in one word have made me a better scholar. My deep appreciation is also extended to the external members of my defense committee, including Alan Sears for his thoughtful engagement with my methods, Deb Cowen for her careful attention to my work with neolibearlism, and Jens Hanssen for sharing the connections between theory and activism. I am grateful for the generous financial support of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the Department of Social Justice Education, where I received graduate funding and extended support through the Doctoral Completion Award. I also want to acknowledge the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, which granted me three years of funding through the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program. An earlier version of Chapter 4 is forthcoming with Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice. I want to thank the special editors for this issue and the anonymous peer-reviewers whose careful attention and insightful critiques have strengthened my writing. Carrie Rentschler, who supervised my Master’s thesis, continues to be one of the most encouraging and supportive people I have worked with. I am so grateful for her presence in my iv life and her unwavering enthusiasm for my work, which gave me the courage to begin this project. A special thanks to Kari Dehli for welcoming me into the department and always encouraging my growth and development from the moment she bought me a copy Fireweed to the shared meals and conversations with family. Sherene Razack, Roland Sintos Coloma, Tanya Titchkosky, and Sheryl Nestle whose teaching at OISE shaped my early thinking on this research and whose instruction built the foundation for my scholarship today; and to Jenny Burman, Michelle Hartman, Thomas LaMarre, and Jonathan Sterne, whose encouraging provocations during my time at McGill reshaped my mind and changed the way I ask questions. I must also thank the endless administrative support I have received from Kristine Pearson, the former Graduate Liaison Officer in my department. I am forever grateful to my dear friend and comrade, Anna Carastathis, who has supported my growth both intellectually and emotionally over the many years of friendship and organizing together. Her friendship has been one of the dearest to my heart and her comments on my writing have been some of the most helpful I have received. Melissa Autumn White, whose sharp analysis and kind mentorship has guided me through the most perplexing parts of academia. Her generosity has been a gift that I hope to reciprocate soon. Kris Klement, with whom our hours at the library and countless breaks helped me work through some of the most difficult thinking. Hanneke Stuit, for inspiring a new trajectory in my work on solidarity and reintroducing me to the pleasures and pain of Derrida. Our meeting and friendship changed the course of this project at a time when I needed new eyes. I want to thank Anna Feigenbaum for our early conversations that culminated in this work, and for her friendship in the years ever since. Hannah Dyer, who has been my cohort, colleague, and confidante, has also shaped this project in ways that are impossible to enumerate. We have walked alongside one another for over six years and I could not have imagined how important her support would be throughout this process. I am eternally grateful for the tender friendship we have built and the working through we have shared. I also want to thank Nayrouz Abu Hatoum, who has become my family. We have talked through the most challenging aspects of solidarity and this movement together and I will always be grateful for our lasting friendship and our shared laughs, meals, gossip, and passionate discussion. v Many thanks go to the Toronto-based activists who have helped me through my academic and activist work, especially those in QuAIA who have built the local base for this movement and who have been patient collaborators as I worked through the praxis of my research and vice versa in our monthly meetings. I would also like to thank all those I met during the Queer Visions gathering at the World Social Forum, whose energy reinvigorated my commitment to this movement. I would especially like to thank Mikki Stelder, who has been a co-conspirator and collaborator, and Haneen Maikey, whose vision brought this movement together and who continues to lead by example. Special thanks to my friends, comrades and colleagues in Lebanon, but especially to Lynn Darwish, Nadine Moawad, and Rasha Moumneh, whose conversations and brilliant insights fueled this project. Our time together was so short, but our discussions and collaborations continue to resonate with me today. To the many other friends I made in Beirut who extended their friendship and care for me, I thank you for your generosity and friendship, which I hold close across the distance between us. Kate Cairns, Eliza Chandler, Chandni Desai, Omisoore Dryden, Laura Kwak, Anne McGuire, Kate Milley, Shaista Patel, Nashwa Salem, Christopher Smith, Sarah Stefana Smith, Sarah Snyder, Laura Thrasher, and Ricky Varghese for being the most wonderful friends and cohort I could imagine. The time spent with all of you made the PhD so much better. Salma Al Atassi, Dima Ayoub, Gina Badger, Nael Banji, Raph Beaulieu, Angel Beyde, Kelly Fritsch, Richard Fung, Aaron Gordon, John Greyson, Chase Joynt, Reena Katz, Punam Khosla, Gada Mahrouse, Tim McCaskell, Casey Mecija, Alexis Mitchell, Michelle Ohnona, Dana Olwan, Leila Pourtavaf, Lauren Pragg, Corvin Russell, Trish Salah, Eugenio Salas, Tony Souza, Joshua Synenko, Indu Vashist and Zohar Weiman-Kelman, whose friendships and collaborations have helped me directly with this project, and to the countless friends not listed here, who have indirectly supported me through this work and nourished me over the last many years. I want to thank my mother and sister, Brenda Kouri and Marla Kouri-Towe, for their eternal support, always reminding me to slow down, and for their unconditional love; and to my father, Michael Towe, for always having the challenging conversations and fostering my curiosity. Lastly, I am forever indebted to Shar, who has been my greatest supporter and my most cherished companion.