Organizing of Women: Nationalism and Feminism in Palestine

RM-215-218

The development and struggle for nationalism in Palestine, as seen through an historical overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, demonstrates the complexity of gendered spaces and narratives inherent in the conflict. Women’s roles are confined to specific, gendered spaces and within their society; however, feminist literature suggests that through the utilization of these roles, women are able to circumnavigate the gendered spaces of their society in order to effectively alter the political and social systems of Palestine and Israel. Through a discussion of women’s unions and grassroots organizations – specifically the Palestine Women’s Union, the Palestinian Federation of Women’s Action Committee (PFWAC), the Jerusalem Center for Women (JCW), and the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WLAC) – active in the historical and present conflict, this paper will demonstrate the significance of Palestinian women’s agency in the nationalist struggle. A nationalist agenda is not proposed within each organization, but the work of each furthers the nationalist cause as they strengthen the rights and abilities of specific segments of the Palestinian population. These organizations clearly demonstrate the ability of women in Palestine to act upon their own intentions, desires, and motivations, through the maximization of the gendered spaces, in order to achieve gender, political, social, and national change.