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The Case of Uneven Development in Palestine: an Investigation of Scalar Fix As an Act of Dispossession

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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2009 The case of uneven development in Palestine: An investigation of scalar fix as an act of dispossession Sandra Lange West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Lange, Sandra, "The case of uneven development in Palestine: An investigation of scalar fix as an act of dispossession" (2009). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 4487. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/4487 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Case of Uneven Development in Palestine: An Investigation of Scalar Fix as an Act of Dispossession Sandra Lange Thesis submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography Graduate Committee Dr. Robert Hanham, Ph.D (Chair) Dr. Brent McCusker, Ph.D Dr. Richard Hoch, Ph.D Department of Geology and Geography Morgantown, West Virginia 2009 Keywords: Uneven Development, Dispossession, Scalar Fix, Israel, Palestine, Dialectics ABSTRACT The Case of Uneven Development in Palestine: An Investigation of Scalar Fix as an Act of Dispossession Sandra Lange Israel’s assault on Gaza in December 2008 brought one of the world’s most long-standing and hotly debated issues to the fore: the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Despite numerous diplomatic efforts to negotiate peace, the hostilities between the two parties continue. One of the fundamental obstacles to peace has been the highly uneven development between Israel and Palestine, caused primarily by Israel’s continuous dispossession of Palestinian rights to land, water and sovereignty. In order to further our understanding of this phenomenon, this thesis sets out to examine processes of dispossession are carried out. The study therefore draws on the geographical concept of scalar fix and investigates how scalar fix consolidates power and functions as an act of dispossession of the Palestinian people. The analysis is based on a conceptual framework which utilizes Harvey’s four key conditionalities of uneven geographical development as well as his matrix of multiple spaces. Linking the concept of scalar fix to the notion of dispossession, four types of scalar fix are identified and applied to the situation of Palestine. Dialectics is used as a methodology, both to develop the conceptual framework and to examine the case of dispossession in Palestine. The study finds that not only the formation of laws and treaties, but also the efforts of various networks, along with the control of knowledge and identity formation, constitute scalar fixes which facilitate Israel’s consolidation of power and the act of dispossessing the people of Palestine. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am greatly indebted to the following people and institutions, for this thesis would not have been completed without their continuous help and support. First, I wish to thank my graduate committee, primarily my advisor, Dr. Robert Hanham, whose knowledge, experience, passion and humor prepared and guided me to accomplish this work. His encouragement gave me the necessary confidence to face the challenge of delving into the realms of multiple spatialities and daring the ‘dance of the dialectic’. He has been an excellent role model as a geographer and academic, as well as a person. I would also like to thank Dr. Brent McCusker for serving on my committee and for putting forward the critical questions essential for a sharp analysis. In addition, Dr. Richard Hoch deserves to be acknowledged for agreeing to devote his time and energy to my thesis at the last moment. Lastly, I wish to mention Alison Hanham whose support accompanied me for the major part of my thesis. My thoughts are with her and I wish her all the best for the future. I also want to thank the graduate students as well as the members of staff and faculty at the Department of Geology and Geography, who have contributed to the making of this thesis in various ways. Among the many students who have assisted me over the past two years, I wish to recognize Denyse Wyskup for sharing her literature on dialectics, space and place, and for providing useful input into the use of dialectics. I am also greatly indebted to Joshua Wixom and Amy Riegner: Thank you for being such great office mates and for showing so much patience. Thanks are also due to Dr. Amy Hessl and Randy Crowe, who have made it possible for me to complete my Master’s degree while being abroad. In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to the staff at the Islamic Foundation in Markfield, UK. Among many, Humeyra Ceylan deserves to be recognized for providing me access to the vast resources at the Islamic Foundation Library and supporting me with my research and writing while away from WVU. I am also grateful to the staff at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education, who assisted me with the technical facilities to present my thesis while being in England. Finally, I am greatly indebted to my family; first and foremost my dear parents, without whose continuous moral support it would have been very difficult to complete this thesis. I also wish to thank my grandparents, my aunt Marion and her husband, Oswald, for their encouragement and financial assistance which enabled me to study abroad. Last, but not least, I wish to recognize Eizeddin: Thank you for all your patience and understanding, for sharing your view from an Arab perspective, and for staying up late to help me edit and format my thesis. Thank you for being such a loving and caring husband. Jazakum Allahu khairan. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ iv TABLE OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................. v ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: DIALECTICS AS METHODOLOGY ............................................................... 6 CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ..................................................................... 12 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Imperialism and Uneven Development ........................................................................... 13 3.2 The Multiplicity of Space ................................................................................................. 20 3.3 The Concept of Scalar Fix ................................................................................................ 24 3.4 The Scalar Fixes of Multiple Spaces ................................................................................ 28 CHAPTER 4: CONSOLIDATION OF POWER THROUGH LEGISLATION AND POLICIES ................................................................................................................................... 36 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 36 4.1 The Beginning of Foreign Intervention .......................................................................... 37 4.2 The Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate........................................................ 39 4.3 The Plan for Ethnic Cleansing and the Establishment of the State of Israel .............. 44 4.4 Judaization and the Consolidation of Territorial Boundaries ...................................... 50 4.5 The Military Administration in the Occupied Territories After 1967 ......................... 55 4.6 The Oslo ‘Peace Process’ - A Peace to End all Peace? .................................................. 60 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER 5: CONSOLIDATION OF POWER THROUGH NETWORKING ................. 70 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 70 5.1 Pre-State Efforts ................................................................................................................ 70 5.2 The “Special Relationship” Between the US and Israel ...............................................
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