Agonism against the odds : Epistemic disruptions and bodies of dissent in Palestine and Israel
(2025)- Abstract
- This dissertation explores the potential of performative protest to challenge epistemic violence and reconfigure antagonistic relations through agonistic engagement in the deeply asymmetrical and polarised context of Palestine and Israel. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork—including 35 interviews and 57 participant observations—conducted across diverse locations such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, and Haifa, the thesis examines how embodied acts of dissent, particularly within joint Palestinian/Israeli commemorations, Jewish Israeli anti-occupation/anti-apartheid protests, and Palestinian artistic performances, disrupt dominant narratives and claim space for marginalised and silenced epistemologies. Central to this analysis... (More)
- This dissertation explores the potential of performative protest to challenge epistemic violence and reconfigure antagonistic relations through agonistic engagement in the deeply asymmetrical and polarised context of Palestine and Israel. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork—including 35 interviews and 57 participant observations—conducted across diverse locations such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, and Haifa, the thesis examines how embodied acts of dissent, particularly within joint Palestinian/Israeli commemorations, Jewish Israeli anti-occupation/anti-apartheid protests, and Palestinian artistic performances, disrupt dominant narratives and claim space for marginalised and silenced epistemologies. Central to this analysis is the concept of agonistic epistemic disruptions, which frames these performative interventions as politically and epistemically generative, offering alternative subjectivities and reimagined political imaginaries.
The research is situated at the intersection of three key theoretical fields: epistemic violence, counter-hegemonic and subversive performance, and agonistic theory. It demonstrates how dominant historical discourses—particularly surrounding the Nakba/War of Independence—are both contested and rearticulated through embodied protest, where the performative body becomes a site of resistance and meaning-making. This inquiry explores the tension between agonism (non-violent political contestation) and antagonism (destructive conflict) uncovering how resistance can emerge even under conditions of structural violence and epistemic silencing. The thesis makes three key contributions. First, it advances agonistic theory by integrating it with counter-hegemonic and performative resistance in contexts of extreme asymmetry. Second, it provides new empirical insights into peace activism and dissent within Israeli and Palestinian communities, focusing on the lived experiences and relational dynamics of activists navigating these contested terrains. Third, it develops an agonistic ethnographic methodology that foregrounds contestation and multiplicity within research encounters, emphasising the political nature of knowledge production. By exploring how dissenting performances interrupt dominant knowledge systems and challenge deeply rooted antagonisms, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the possibilities—and limitations—of agonistic engagement in violent, asymmetrical conflicts, highlighting the transformative potential of performative resistance. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Denna avhandling undersöker performativa protesters möjligheter att utmana epistemiskt våld och omforma antagonistiska relationer genom agonistiskt engagemang i den djupt asymmetriska och polariserade kontexten i Palestina och Israel. Studien baseras på etnografiska fältarbeten – inklusive 35 intervjuer och 57 deltagande observationer – genomförda på olika platser i städer såsom Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah och Haifa.Utifrån detta material analyserar avhandlingen hur kroppsliga uttryck för motstånd, särskilt inom gemensamma palestinska/israeliska minnesceremonier, judisk-israeliska anti-ockupations-/anti-apartheidprotester och palestinska konstnärliga framträdanden, utmanar dominerande narrativ och skapar utrymme för marginaliserad... (More)
- Denna avhandling undersöker performativa protesters möjligheter att utmana epistemiskt våld och omforma antagonistiska relationer genom agonistiskt engagemang i den djupt asymmetriska och polariserade kontexten i Palestina och Israel. Studien baseras på etnografiska fältarbeten – inklusive 35 intervjuer och 57 deltagande observationer – genomförda på olika platser i städer såsom Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah och Haifa.Utifrån detta material analyserar avhandlingen hur kroppsliga uttryck för motstånd, särskilt inom gemensamma palestinska/israeliska minnesceremonier, judisk-israeliska anti-ockupations-/anti-apartheidprotester och palestinska konstnärliga framträdanden, utmanar dominerande narrativ och skapar utrymme för marginaliserad kunskaps. Avhandlingen utvecklar begreppet agonistiska epistemiska störningar, vilket hjälper oss att förstå performativa interventioner som både politiskt och kunskapsmässigt generativa. Dessa erbjuder dessutom alternativa subjektiviteter och omformulerade politiska föreställningsvärldar.
Forskningen är belägen i skärningspunkten mellan tre centrala teoretiska fält: epistemiskt våld, kontrahegemonisk och subversiv performativitet samt agonistisk teori. Den visar hur dominerande historiska diskurser – särskilt kring al-Nakba/Israels självständighetskrig – både ifrågasätts och omformuleras genom kroppsliga protestuttryck, där den performativa kroppen blir en plats för motstånd och meningsskapande. Undersökningen utforskar spänningen mellan agonism (icke-våldsam politisk konflikt) och antagonism (destruktiv konflikt), och blottlägger hur dessa typer av motstånd kan uppstå även under förhållanden av strukturellt våld och epistemisk tystnad. Avhandlingen gör tre centrala bidrag. För det första vidareutvecklar den agonistisk teori genom att integrera den med kontrahegemoniskt och performativt motstånd i kontexter präglade av extrem asymmetri. För det andra erbjuder den nya empiriska insikter om fredsaktivism och protest inom israeliska och palestinska samhällen, med fokus på aktivisters levda erfarenheter och relationella dynamiker i dessa omstridda landskap. För det tredje utvecklar den en agonistisk etnografisk metodologi som lyfter fram konflikt och mångfald inom forskningsmöten, och betonar kunskapsproduktionens politiska natur. Genom att utforska hur utryck för performativitet kan störa dominerande kunskapssystem och utmana djupt rotade antagonismer, bidrar denna studie till en mer nyanserad förståelse av möjligheterna – och begränsningarna – med agonistiskt engagemang i våldsamma, asymmetriska konflikter, och lyfter fram det performativa motståndets transformativa potential. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/a04270f6-6d2c-45e9-9c93-f01fcb933288
- author
- Stein, Anne Lene LU
- supervisor
-
- Lisa Strömbom LU
- Anders Uhlin LU
- opponent
-
- Professor Schulz, Michael, University of Gothenburg
- organization
- alternative title
- Agonism mot alla odds : Epistemiska störningar och motstridiga kroppar i Palestina och Israel
- publishing date
- 2025-05
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- agonistic theory, epistemic violence, performative protest, conflict transformation, Palestine, Israel, agonistic epistemic disruptions
- pages
- 268 pages
- publisher
- MediaTryck Lund
- defense location
- Edens Hörsal, Allhelgona Kyrkogata 14, Lund
- defense date
- 2025-06-13 10:15:00
- ISBN
- 978-91-8104-537-6
- 978-91-8104-538-3
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a04270f6-6d2c-45e9-9c93-f01fcb933288
- date added to LUP
- 2025-05-09 14:15:18
- date last changed
- 2025-05-14 11:30:07
@phdthesis{a04270f6-6d2c-45e9-9c93-f01fcb933288,
abstract = {{This dissertation explores the potential of performative protest to challenge epistemic violence and reconfigure antagonistic relations through agonistic engagement in the deeply asymmetrical and polarised context of Palestine and Israel. Drawing on multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork—including 35 interviews and 57 participant observations—conducted across diverse locations such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ramallah, and Haifa, the thesis examines how embodied acts of dissent, particularly within joint Palestinian/Israeli commemorations, Jewish Israeli anti-occupation/anti-apartheid protests, and Palestinian artistic performances, disrupt dominant narratives and claim space for marginalised and silenced epistemologies. Central to this analysis is the concept of agonistic epistemic disruptions, which frames these performative interventions as politically and epistemically generative, offering alternative subjectivities and reimagined political imaginaries.<br/>The research is situated at the intersection of three key theoretical fields: epistemic violence, counter-hegemonic and subversive performance, and agonistic theory. It demonstrates how dominant historical discourses—particularly surrounding the Nakba/War of Independence—are both contested and rearticulated through embodied protest, where the performative body becomes a site of resistance and meaning-making. This inquiry explores the tension between agonism (non-violent political contestation) and antagonism (destructive conflict) uncovering how resistance can emerge even under conditions of structural violence and epistemic silencing. The thesis makes three key contributions. First, it advances agonistic theory by integrating it with counter-hegemonic and performative resistance in contexts of extreme asymmetry. Second, it provides new empirical insights into peace activism and dissent within Israeli and Palestinian communities, focusing on the lived experiences and relational dynamics of activists navigating these contested terrains. Third, it develops an agonistic ethnographic methodology that foregrounds contestation and multiplicity within research encounters, emphasising the political nature of knowledge production. By exploring how dissenting performances interrupt dominant knowledge systems and challenge deeply rooted antagonisms, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the possibilities—and limitations—of agonistic engagement in violent, asymmetrical conflicts, highlighting the transformative potential of performative resistance.}},
author = {{Stein, Anne Lene}},
isbn = {{978-91-8104-537-6}},
keywords = {{agonistic theory; epistemic violence; performative protest; conflict transformation; Palestine; Israel; agonistic epistemic disruptions}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{MediaTryck Lund}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Agonism against the odds : Epistemic disruptions and bodies of dissent in Palestine and Israel}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/218834499/Stein_2025_-_Agonism_against_the_odds_-_Epistemic_disruptions_and_bodies_of_dissent_in_Palestine_and_Israel.pdf}},
year = {{2025}},
}