The struggle for democratic space under violent settler colonialism and authoritarian rule

After the elections of 2006, Palestinians had high hopes for democratic transformation. This contribution takes an in-depth look into their struggle for democratic space in the context of both violent settler colonialism and Palestinian authoritarian rule by Fatah and Hamas. The case studies analysed, all from the West Bank, are taken from local government, strikes organized outside official unions, individual activists, and finally the NGO AMAN. The people involved acted with a lot of imagination, often combined with institutional ingenuity. They thus laid important groundwork for future openings for action against oppression and for democratic transformation.

Authoritarianism · Colonial rule · Colonialism · Democracy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Middle East Politics and Society · Philosophy