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Natanel, Katherine Louise (2013) Active (Dis)Engagement: the Gendered Production of Political Apathy in Israel

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Natanel, Katherine Louise (2013) Active (Dis)Engagement: the Gendered Production of Political Apathy in Israel Natanel, Katherine Louise (2013) Active (dis)engagement: the gendered production of political apathy in Israel. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18067 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Active (Dis)engagement: The Gendered Production of Political Apathy in Israel Katherine Louise Natanel Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Gender Studies 2013 Centre for Gender Studies Faculty of Law and Social Sciences SOAS, University of London 1 Declaration I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: Date: 28 January 2014 2 For David Snelling, Gary Johnson and Ann Glogau Bibi, who taught me the importance of listening and laughter. 3 Thesis Abstract Ma la’asot? ‘What can we do?’ Spoken with a sigh and a shrug of the shoulders, this sentiment often brings to a close the tense pause which follows discussions of ha sichsuch, ‘the quarrel,’ in Israel- Palestine. As expressed by Leftist Jewish Israelis, the phrase ma la’asot becomes a way of conveying political emotions of despair, helplessness and disappointment at the same time as it presents a practical question of power. Faced with the seeming intractability of conflict, the interminability of a stalled peace process and increasing social and political conservatism, those Jewish Israelis opposed to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories find themselves at loose ends: what to do indeed? While an extensive body of research critically engages with ‘the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’ through lenses including history, political economy and activism, this thesis shifts focus to the production of stasis. In considering how things stay the same, we might better understand the roots and routes of how they may become different. Drawing upon one year of ethnographic research with Jewish Israelis living in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem, this thesis explores the processes, practices and beliefs which sustain normalcy in conditions of conflict. Central to this investigation is gender – as an aspect of subjectivity, relation of power and ordering principle of state and society, gender is integral to the conduct of everyday life and the maintenance of political realities. Thus, this thesis asks what a gender analysis of Jewish Israeli society might tell us about the trajectory of ‘Israel-Palestine,’ what the textures of normalcy, apathy and stasis mean for our visions of the future. Moving through degrees of division and entanglement, modes of avoidance and activism, sites of investment and withdrawal, and instantiations of normalcy and rupture, this thesis foregrounds the gendered subjectivities and sociality central to the production and maintenance of power in Israel-Palestine. By attempting to unpick to relationship between gender and political stasis, this thesis ultimately looks to domination in hopes of finding new paths to transformation. 4 Acknowledgments The process of planning, researching and writing this thesis has made incredibly clear the extent to which no idea or project is work of one person alone. Rather, a community stands behind every thought and theory, every plan and possibility. Throughout these fours years I have been blessed with a tremendous network of inspiration and support, for which I am most grateful. My gratitude goes first and foremost to Professor Nadje Al-Ali, whose wisdom and guidance have anchored this research project at the same time as she has given me wings. This work takes root in her insistence that we must not overlook tension and contradiction as we seek transformation, and that we must search out new horizons of possibility even in what seems the darkest of moments. My thanks also go to the inimitable Professor Laleh Khalili, who far exceeded her duties as a ‘second supervisor’ on this project. This thesis began as an idea in her classroom, was propelled into existence by her enthusiasm and finds foundation in her critical thought, particularly her insistence that politics and ethics must not be divided. I also thank Dr. Tsila Ratner, whose encouragement and engagement during my first year of doctoral studies positively shaped this thesis as it appears today. This thesis also greatly benefitted from reading and review by Professor Barbara Einhorn, Dr. Cynthia Cockburn, Dr. Yair Wallach and Dr. Orna Sasson-Levy – their critical feedback directly resulted in the attention to nuance that I hope this thesis sustains. As well, I thank Dr. Ruba Salih and Dr. Gina Heathcote of the SOAS Centre for Gender Studies for sensitive conversations and provocative queries as the thesis neared completion. I am additionally grateful to the SOAS Centre for Gender Studies, whose staff members, doctoral students and Masters students have anchored and buoyed me throughout four years of study – without this critical community this thesis would not be what it is today. I am particularly grateful to Marta Pietrobelli, Lara Momesso, Leyli Behbahani and Arturo Sanchez Garcia for their endless support, friendship and solidarity, along with their insightful commentary on chapter drafts and presentations. I would also like to thank the SOAS Centre for Palestine Studies for nurturing scholarship among graduate students and providing an important forum for exchange. This thesis is further indebted to SOAS, University of London and the University of London Central Research Fund for financial support. Throughout this process of discovery, I have been fortunate to have two intellectual partners whose shining examples and scholarship continue to propel me in new directions. Alexandra Hyde has been a constant source of inspiration and our critical exchanges have shaped not only this thesis, but also its author – this thesis owes its depth to her. Edwige Fortier has been an unfailing source of encouragement and a steady companion in the quest to interrogate power – may we continue to search for revolution together. 5 In looking to community, I must thank the two families which have sustained this research project, the resulting thesis and its author. I am grateful to Tamar and Mark Natanel for their kindness, patience and wisdom, particularly during my year of field study in Israel-Palestine; without Tamar’s generosity and incredible capacity for friendship this project would not have been possible. I am thankful as well to Michal, Tomer, Omer, Ophir and Roni Dabby, for moments of levity and grace during a challenging year of research. To my own family I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude – Roberta Snelling and Lawrence Krebs taught me early the merits of hard work at the same time as they imparted the ideal of justice. My words and work stand a product of their wisdom, love and support. Joanna L. K. Daggett, my twin in all regards, lives out this commitment to justice each day – her dedication has been a constant source of inspiration, just as her encouragement has been a steady source of will. Ultimately, I am deeply indebted to the women and men in Tel Aviv and West Jerusalem who agreed to participate in interviews, to the organisations that allowed me to take part in their political actions, and to the friends and family in Israel- Palestine who invited me into their daily lives with notebook in hand. These exchanges and experiences were not always easy, and I am humbled by the kindness and honesty of those who invested in this researcher and her project. Great responsibility accompanies the trust they have extended to me – I hope that this thesis attests to both. Finally, throughout these years of rigorous study Guy Natanel has been my partner in every way imaginable – an intellectual companion, creative inspiration, political ally, best friend and even research assistant. The thoughts and theories appearing in this thesis are a product of our exchanges, sometimes difficult, often clarifying and always galvanising. Though he has sacrificed greatly for this research project, this thesis is grounded in his refusal to be silent in the face of injustice. For that I am most grateful. 6 Table of Contents Declaration 2 Abstract 4 Acknowledgments 5 Introduction: Bruchim Ha’Baim [Welcome] 10 Occupation Unravelled 12 The Trouble with Normalcy 14 Ma La’asot? 16 The Politics of Everyday Life 19 Reading Power 20 Boundaries Of and In the Field 21 A Tapestry of the Ordinary 27 Chapter One: The Everyday of Occupation – HaYom-Yom [Routine] 30 The Relative Constitution of Normalcy 32 Fraternity, Security, Modernity 35 The ‘Usual Life’ of Zionism
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