The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank : The Theatrics of Woeful Statecraft / by Michelle Pace and Somdeep Sen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pace, Michelle, author.

Sen, Somdeep, author.

Series:

Routledge studies in Middle Eastern democratization and government.

Routledge studies in Middle Eastern democratization and government

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Palestinian Arabs--Politics and government.

Palestinian Arabs.

Nation-building--Palestine.

Nation-building.

Civil society--Palestine.

Civil society.

State, The.

Performative (Philosophy).

Palestinian National Authority--Politics and government.

Palestinian National Authority.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (115 pages).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Boca Raton, FL : Routledge, 2018.

Summary:

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank explores the manner in which the Palestinian Authority’s performative acts affect and shape the lives and subjective identities of those in its vicinity in the occupied West Bank. The nature of Palestinians’ statelessness has to contend with the rituals of statecraft that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its Palestinian functionaries engage in. These rituals are also economically maintained by an international donor community and are vehemently challenged by Palestinian activists, antagonistic to the prevalence of the statist agenda in Palestine. Conceptually, the understanding of the PA’s ‘theater of statecraft’ is inspired by Judith Butler’s conception of performativity as one that encompasses several repetitive and ritual performative acts. The authors explore what they refer to as the ‘fuzzy state' (personified in the form and conduct of the PA) looks like for those living it, from the vantage point of PA institutions, NGOs, international representative offices, and activists. Methodologically, the book adopts an ethnographic approach, by way of interviews and observations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank makes an important and long-due intervention by integrating performance studies and politics to suggest an understanding of the theatrics of woeful statecraft in Palestine. The book is an essential resource for students and scholars interested in the study of the state, International Relations and Politics, Palestine Studies, and the Middle East.

Contents:

The theatrics of the "state" : an introduction

Palestine and the "global" imperative of state-building

The Palestinian Authority and its "anxious" functionaries

Operating in the shadow of the "state" : the case of civil society organizations

The "state" and its "unwilling" subjects

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-351-34152-9

1-315-12428-9

1-351-34153-7

9781315124285

OCLC:

1055570221