Contradictions in Place: Everyday Geographies of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Occupation A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Ph.D. in Social Work Bree Akesson School of Social Work McGill University, Montreal © Bree Akesson, 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................ 2 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................... 4 1 INTRODUCTION: MAPPING THE RESEARCH(ER) .................................................................. 7 2 MAPPING PALESTINE ........................................................................................................................ 28 3 THEORIZING THE PLACE OF PALESTINIAN CHILDREN AND FAMILIES ................ 46 4 “EVERY CORNER, YOU WILL FIND A STORY”: PLACE-BASED RESEARCH WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES .................................................................................................................... 60 5 HOME AS CASTLE AND CAGE ....................................................................................................... 89 6 SCHOOL AS PROTECTIVE AND RISKY ..................................................................................... 120 7 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY AS A POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PLACE ............. 140 8 ANGER AND HOPE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PALESTINIAN NATION-STATE 167 9 IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE, POLICY, AND RESEARCH ...................................................................................................................... 192 10 EPILOGUE ............................................................................................................................................. 207 APPENDIX A: FAMILY BIOGRAPHIES ............................................................................................. 210 APPENDIX B: CONSENT FORM .......................................................................................................... 221 APPENDIX C: DRAFT INTERVIEW GUIDE .................................................................................... 224 APPENDIX D: SAMPLE NEIGHBORHOOD WALK ...................................................................... 226 APPENDIX E: SAMPLE OF GPS-CODED NEIGHBORHOOD WALK .................................... 232 APPENDIX F: INTERVIEW FEEDBACK FORM (IFF) .................................................................. 233 APPENDIX F: BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 235 2 ABSTRACT Scarce research to date has examined the role of place in the lives of children affected by political violence. The following dissertation explores the concept and meaning of place for children and families living under occupation and experiencing political violence in post-second intifada Palestine. By tackling a theoretical concept such as place, this dissertation tangibly uncovers how and to what extent the occupation and political violence affect Palestinian children and families’ relationships with place and how different kinds of places—home, school, neighborhood communities, and nation-state—protect or do not protect children and families. Using an innovative rapid ethnographic approach to data collection, 18 families from various physical settings (e.g., refugee camp, encampment, village, city) throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem participated in collaborative family interviews. Interviews included narrative, drawing, and mapmaking and were each followed by a child-led neighborhood walk tracked with global positioning system (GPS) software. Data were analyzed using grounded theory and ultimately organized according to the socio-ecological layers of home, school, neighborhood community, and nation-state. Data indicate that Palestinian children and families experience multiple contradictions in place in the context of occupation and violence: home can be experienced as a castle and a cage; schools can be both protective and risky; neighborhood communities can be positive and negative; and the nation-state supports feelings of both anger and hope. Findings reaffirm the importance of place in the lives of children and families affected by violence and inform international social work practice and policy. À ce jour, peu de recherches ont examiné le rôle du concept du lieu dans la vie des enfants touchés par la violence politique. Cette thèse a pour objet principal l’étude du concept du lieu et la signification de cette notion pour les enfants et les familles vivant sous l’occupation et victimes de la violence politique de la seconde Intifada en Palestine. En examinant un concept théorique comme celui de « lieu,» cette thèse dévoile comment et dans quelle mesure l'occupation et la violence politique affectent les enfants palestiniens et les relations familiales avec le lieu et la façon dont les différents types de lieux— le domicile, l'école, les communautés du quartier, et l’État-nation—protègent ou n’arrivent pas à protéger les enfants et les familles. En utilisant une approche innovatrice d’ethnographie rapide pour la collection des données, 18 familles provenant de divers environnements physiques (par exemple, le camp de réfugiés, le campement, le village, la ville) dans toute la Cisjordanie et Jérusalem-Est ont participé à des entretiens familiales collaboratifs. Les entretiens ont inclus le récit, le dessin, et la cartographie et ont été suivis par une promenade du quartier guider par enfant, ce dernier étant surveiller par le logiciel du système de localisation mondial (GPS). Les données ont été analysées en employant la théorie ancrée et ont été organisées selon les couches socio-écologiques de la maison, l'école, la communauté du quartier, et de l’État-nation. Les données indiquent que les enfants et les familles palestiniennes ressentent des contradictions multiples en ce qui concerne le concept du lieu dans le contexte de l'occupation et de la violence: la maison peut être vécue en même temps comme un château et une cage; les écoles peuvent à la fois être considérées comme des lieux sûr et des lieux de danger et de risque; les communautés du quartier peuvent être positifs et négatifs; et l'État-nation provoque à la fois les sentiments de colère et de l’espoir. Les résultats de cette recherche réaffirment l'importance du lieu dans la vie des enfants et des familles touchées par la violence et rend visibles les pratiques et la politique international du travail social. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation is the culmination of almost five years of work, during which I benefited from the assistance and support of many. The list of those who extended their help to me is in the hundreds, so here I must confine myself. I apologize to all those who have helped me over the years and whose names I have failed to mention. I must first thank Myriam Denov, who has guided me through my dissertation from its early conceptualization in 2009 with great wisdom and (at times) much-needed humor. She started as my supervisor, and became my mentor and friend. My doctoral committee—Claudia Mitchell and Ceren Bogaç—expertly balanced encouragement and feedback to strengthen my understanding of theory and methods related to my research topic. And Julie Norman gave me invaluable advice on conducting research in Palestine and provided me with invaluable feedback on the first draft of this manuscript. Conducting research in Palestine would not have been possible without the cooperation, trust, and commitment of numerous individuals, families, and institutions. I witnessed true Palestinian hospitality first-hand, and I thank everyone who took time away from their important work and daily lives to assist me. I would especially like to thank my two research assistants—Noor and Maisam—who patiently guided me through Palestine’s geography and culture. During my first visit to Palestine in 2010, the An Najah University’s Community Service Center (CSC) and the McGill Middle East Program, provided me with office space and a place to sleep and opened up doors to individuals and organizations. During my second visit to Palestine in 2012, the International Friends Guest House in Nablus provided me with the space—both physical and mental—I needed to conduct my research. I would also like to thank the following local organizations for their assistance and insight: Alternative Information Center, Arab al-Jahalin Charitable Society, Arab Women’s Union Society, Christian Peacemakers Team, East Jerusalem YMCA, Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel, Jahalin Association, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Popular Resistance Committee, Syndicates of Psychologists and Social Workers, Tomorrow’s Youth Organization, Women’s Worker Association, Yafa Cultural Center, Youth Against Settlements, and Zajel Youth Exchange Program. I must express extreme gratitude for my McGill colleague and friend, Nuha Shaer, who welcomed me into her home and shared her 4 experiences as a mother with me. Nuha and her family’s understanding of the concept of place and the future of Palestine inspired many of the words I have written in the following pages. Writing can be a lonely process, so I feel fortunate