Meanings of education under occupation: the shifting motivations for education in Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank

Abstract

Despite being a protracted refugee crisis that entails international debates and controversies, discussions about Palestinian education have frequently sidelined the perspectives, needs and priorities of the Palestinian refugee population. Drawing upon a qualitative study in the West Bank and engaging with theoretical ideas of Johan Galtung, Paulo Freire and Pierre Bourdieu, we argue that the nexus between educational motivation and motivation for Palestinian liberation, which was particularly significant during the periods of ‘Palestinian uprising’, seems to be declining today in the present day context of oppression and structural violence. The growing disassociation among young refugees with Palestinian liberation, and with education as a means to this liberation, can be seen as a process of symbolic violence. Building upon these findings, we propose a new analytical framework for understanding the interrelationship between education, violence and struggle for social and political transformation in conflict-affected societies.

Keywords:

• Education for Palestinian refugees
• structural violence
• education for resistance
• education and symbolic violence
• education and peace building

Acknowledgment

Authors would like to thank Dr Robin Shields, University of Bath; Professor Carol Vincent, UCL Institute of Education; and two anonymous reviewers for their feedback in the earlier draft of this article.

Notes

1. The term ‘Nakba’ will henceforth be used to refer to the events of this time. In line with a constructionist epistemology, this study acknowledges that meaning is found in the ways in which humans experience reality and reflect on this experience. The term ‘Nakba’ is therefore used for its particular resonance with participants.