Imaginary, Emotional, and Everyday Spaces of Palestinian Childhood
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Geography Geography 2013 A CHILDREN’S GEOGRAPHY OF OCCUPATION: IMAGINARY, EMOTIONAL, AND EVERYDAY SPACES OF PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD David J. Marshall University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Marshall, David J., "A CHILDREN’S GEOGRAPHY OF OCCUPATION: IMAGINARY, EMOTIONAL, AND EVERYDAY SPACES OF PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD" (2013). Theses and Dissertations--Geography. 13. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/geography_etds/13 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Geography at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Geography by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. 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Marshall, Student Dr. Anna Secor, Major Professor Dr. Matthew Zook, Director of Graduate Studies A CHILDREN’S GEOGRAPHY OF OCCUPATION: IMAGINARY, EMOTIONAL, AND EVERYDAY SPACES OF PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD DISSERTATION A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By David Jones Marshall Director: Dr. Anna Secor, Professor of Geography Lexington, Kentucky 2013 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION A CHILDREN’S GEOGRAPHY OF OCCUPATION: IMAGINARY, EMOTIONAL, AND EVERYDAY SPACES OF PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD This research examines the political geographies of Palestinian children, and the ways in which their everyday spaces and practices are shaped by broader social and political processes. This research begins with an investigation into the role of the child in the moral geopolitics of humanitarianism and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. From here, the research explores how the competing discourses of Palestinian nationalism and international humanitarianism, and the legacy of forced migration, have shaped the subjectivity of Palestinian children and the spaces of childhood in a West Bank refugee camp, from homes, to schools, streets, and youth centers. Finally, using participant observation, visual methods and guided tours, this research explores how children reshape the discursive spaces of childhood and child subjectivity through their everyday practices. KEYWORDS: Palestine, children’s geography, humanitarianism, affect, aesthetics. A CHILDREN’S GEOGRAPHY OF OCCUPATION: IMAGINARY, EMOTIONAL, AND EVERYDAY SPACES OF PALESTINIAN CHILDHOOD By David Jones Marshall Professor Anna Secor, Director of Dissertation Dr. Matthew Zook, Director of Graduate Studies For Muna and Salma ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thankfully, researching and writing this dissertation was not a solitary effort. I am humbled by the number of colleagues, friends, and family who contributed to this project in immeasurable ways. Given the limitations of space, memory, and written language, it is impossible to innumerate all the ways that people have helped to bring this project to fruition, or convey the full depth of my gratitude. But as this project has taught me, that shouldn’t stop me from trying. This research was made possible by the National Science Foundation - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (NSF-DDRI) award for Geography and Spatial Sciences (GSS), as well as a Research Fellowship provided by the Palestinian American Research Center. Thanks also to the Department of Geography and the Graduate School at the University of Kentucky for their support of this research and writing. Finally, thanks to the American Council of Learned Societies and the Mellon Foundation for supporting this dissertation through their Dissertation Writing Fellowship. Above all, I wish to express my sincere thanks and unending gratitude to my advisor Anna Secor, the person who has ceaselessly supported this endeavor from start to finish. Anna, I could not have asked for a more perfect advisor. You have guided and inspired me, but most of all, you believed I could do this even when I didn’t, and for that I will be forever in your debt. I also wish to thank the other members of my committee who have supported this research from the beginning. Sue Roberts - thank you for the generous and enthusiastic support and insightful advice that you have offered me since I first came to Kentucky. Thanks also to i Patricia Ehrkamp who has been a wonderful friend and colleague – I’ve enjoyed our chats, seminars, and reading groups. I owe Michael Samers special thanks as well for being an early advocate and supporter of this research and for helping me draft my research questions and proposal. Likewise, thanks to Diane King for helping me draft my proposal and for being my field guide through field research. Finally, special thanks are due to Julie Peteet for going above and beyond by agreeing to serve as really external committee member – your work continues to serve as an inspiration to me. There are so many other friends and colleagues at the UK Geography Department whom I wish to thank. The department as a whole has challenged and nurtured me in ways I never imagined. Thanks to Tad Mutersbaugh for teaching me how to hone my craft. Thanks to Rich Schein for providing me with an education in geographic thought, and for being a model advisor, teacher, scholar, and guide. Thanks to Lauren Martin for her generous advice as I started this project. Thanks to Hugh Deaner and Jairus Rossi for great chats over coffee and bulgogi. Finally thanks to my dear friend and Salma’s honorary auntie, Christine Smith for putting up with my complaints and tirades, for freshly baked bread, neighborhood walks, and funny YouTube videos when I needed them, and for being a great friend, thinker, and person. In addition to all the wonderful support I have received in the US, there is also a whole list of people in Palestine to thank. First and foremost, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the entire Project Hope family, who not only helped to facilitate this research, but inspired it. Special thanks to Hakim Sabbah for trusting and supporting me, and to AbdelKarim Zawawi for being an outstanding colleague, translator, and research assistant. Thanks also to my friends Salahuddin Assi, Mutaz Taher, Fadi Alshoubi, Mohammad Sayeh, Mohammad Bustami, Namaraq Younes, Raneh as-Saleh, and Saja Qanadilo for helping me with translation and other research activities. ii In addition, thanks to Jeremy Wildeman for being such a thoughtful and loyal friend and colleague – I owe you a lot, my friend. Thanks to Davie Davis for your mad video and photography skills, and to Josh Wolff and Joanna Cyprys of MyDigiStory for letting me tag along. Thanks to Karem Halawah, Salem Hantoli, Salem Hawash, Beesan Ramadan, and Saed Abu-Hijleh for their friendship and support. And finally, very special, heartfelt thanks to all the individuals and community organizations who participated in or otherwise helped to facilitate this research. This includes the children, youth, parents, workers and volunteers who so wonderfully and generously agreed to participate in this research anonymously. Thanks also to the following community organizations, societies and NGOs for their various forms of support and inspiration: Happy Childhood Club in Balata, the Disability Resource Center in Balata, the Jamaseen Neighborhood Association, the Women’s Society of Balata, Naher al-Oja Society, the Balata Camp Services Committee, the UNRWA Boys School and Girls School of Balata, the UNRWA northern branch office, al-Lydd Society, the Handicap Association in Askar, the Childhood Culture Center in Nablus, the Multi-Purpose Community Resource Center in the Old City of Nablus, Al-Awtar Society, The Palestinian Women’s Working Society for Development, Beit Dafy, al-Mustaqbal Society, Dar al-Fanoon, and Amideast. There are many other colleagues who helped support this work in various ways. Thanks to Scott M. Freundschuh, Program Director for Geography and Spatial Sciences at the National Science Foundation, and Penelope Mitchell, Executive Director Palestinian American Research Center for all their support and assistance. In addition, I would like to thank Lori Tyndal, Honey Elder, Cherice Phelps, and Mary Boulton for putting up with me. Thanks also to Cindy Mueller at ACLS for all her help and support. In addition, I would like to thank Sallie Marston, Michael Kennedy, Lisa Bhungalia, Karen Wells, Tracey Skelton, Kirsi Pauliina Kallio, Jouni Häkli, Cindi iii Katz, Stuart Aitkin, and Mathew Coleman for their advice in researching and writing this dissertation, and for helping me find an outlet for this research.