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Resignifying ‘Sexual’ Colonial Power Techniques: The Experiences of Palestinian Women Political Prisoners

Meari explores the reconstruction of the female body within both colonial domination and anti-colonial resistance through the testimonies of al-munadilat (المناضلات ),  or woman strugglers, in Palestine, who were tortured by Shabak (Israel Security Agency). She introduces the concept of sumud (الصمود ) , or steadfastness, which is employed by Palestinians under interrogation to destabilize the power dynamics and reconstruct the symbol of the female body in resistance to the Israeli state. Israel specifically utilizes sexual and gender-based torture to stifle Palestinian anti-colonial struggle; however, through sumud and the act of not confessing, Palestinian women subvert colonial power and dehumanization. Their bodies become broader symbols of all oppressed Palestinians resisting Zionist colonial control. This piece informs a new understanding of dignity through sumud and engages with centering experiences of resistance rather than subjugation. A potential pitfall of this framework could be the disregard for real-life trauma that these women may be experiencing in favor of representing the steadfast, unaffected dissenter. 

Meari, Lena. “Resignifying ‘Sexual’ Colonial Power Techniques: The Experiences of Palestinian Women Political Prisoners” in Maha El Said et al. Rethinking Gender & Revolutions and Resistance: Lessons From the Arab World. London & New York: Zed Books, 2015.

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