Reclaiming Humanity in Palestinian Hunger Strikes : Revolutionary Subjectivity and Decolonizing the Body

**2022 Winner of the Palestine Book Awards** Rooted in feminist ethnography and decolonial feminist theory, this book explores the subjectivity of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli prisons, as shaped by resistance. Ashjan Ajour examines how these prisoners use their bodies in anti-colonial resistance; what determines this mode of radical struggle; the meanings they ascribe to their actions; and how they constitute their subjectivity while undergoing extreme bodily pain and starvation. These hunger strikes, which embody decolonisation and liberation politics, frame the post-Oslo period in the wake of the decline of the national struggle against settler-colonialism and the fragmentation of the Palestinian movement. Providing narrative and analytical insights into embodied resistance and tracing the formation of revolutionary subjectivity, the book sheds light on the participants’ views of the hunger strike, as they move beyond customary understandings of the political into the realm of the ‘spiritualisation’ of struggle. Drawing on Foucault’s conception of the technologies of the self, Fanon’s writings on anti-colonial violence, and Badiou’s militant philosophy, Ajour problematises these concepts from the vantage point of the Palestinian hunger strike. Acknowledgements Contents About the author List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction: Hunger Strike in the Historical Context of Colonised Palestine 1 Feminist Decolonial Ethnography: The Search for the Language of the Heart 2 Captives’ Intifada: The Battle of the Empty Stomach in Hunger Strike 3 The Anti-colonial Liberation Politics and Revolutionary Humanism 3.1 Illumination... 4 The Historical Context of Colonised Palestine 4.1 Genealogy of Palestinian Resistance and Subjectivity 4.2 The Palestinian Political Movement in the Post-Oslo Period 4.3 The Field Work in Its Historical Context 5 Conceptualising Hunger Striking Subjectivity and Weaponisation of the Body 5.1 Weaponisation of the Body and Spiritualisation of Politics 5.2 Technologies of Bodily Instrumentalisation: Counter-Violence to Reclaim Humanity 6 Description of Field Work and Methods of Data Collection 6.1 The First Round of Field Work—2015 Archival Material In-Depth Interviews 6.2 Second Round of Field Work—2016 6.3 Third Round of Field Work—2017 7 Field Work from a Feminist Perspective 8 The Map of the Book: Chapter Summary 8.1 Chapter 1: Introduction: Hunger Strike in the Historical Context of Colonised Palestine 8.2 Chapter 2: Hunger Strike Resistance: A Brief History 8.3 Chapter 3: Feminist and Decolonial Approaches and the Search for the Language of the Heart 8.4 Chapter 4: Producing Knowledge and Understanding Subjectivity through Lived Experience 8.5 Chapter 5: Conceptualising Subjectivity and Subjectivation in the Hunger Strike 8.6 Chapter 6: The Pre-hunger-strike Stage: The Dispossession of Humanity 8.7 Chapter 7: Reclaiming Dispossessed Humanity: The Decision to Hunger Strike 8.8 Chapter 8: The Embodiment of Humanity: Technologies of the Self and of Resistance in the Stages of the Hunger Strike 8.9 Chapter 9: ‘Strength’, Conflict and the Body in Pain 8.10 Chapter 10: Self-Determination and the Struggle with Death 8.11 Chapter 11: Strength, Continuity and Steadfastness (Sumud) 8.12 Chapter 12: The Meaning of Victory: Sovereignty over the Body in the Hunger Strikers’ Philosophy of Freedom 8.13 Chapter 13: Conceptualising a Limit-Experience: The Hunger Strike as a Near-Death Event 8.14 Chapter 14: Conclusion: Political Subjectivity: From Individual to Collective Subject Bibliography Chapter 2: Hunger Strike Resistance: A Brief History 1 The Hunger Strike in the Palestinian Case 1.1 The Body as a Weapon in Palestinian Resistance Martyrdom Operator vs Hunger Striker 1.2 Captive Resistance and Political Subjectivity 2 Hunger Strikes in Northern Ireland (1981) and Turkey (2000–2003) 2.1 The 1981 Hunger Strike in Northern Ireland 2.2 The Turkish Case Study: The 2000–2003 Hunger Strike 3 Hunger Strike: Violent or Non-violent Resistance? 4 Individual Subjectivity vs Collective Subjectivity 5 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 3: Feminist and Decolonial Approaches and the Search for the Language of the Heart 1 Them and Me: Toward a Decolonial Feminist Humanist Approach 1.1 Our Interaction in the Interviews 1.2 Empathy, Dialogue and Compassion 2 Challenges for the Embodied Researcher 3 The Search for the Language of the Heart: The Feminist Decolonising Ethnography 4 A Storytelling from the Heart: A Decolonial Feminist Humanism 5 Salem’s Story 6 Bilal’s Story 6.1 Tears of Humanity 7 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 4: Producing Knowledge and Understanding Subjectivity through Lived Experience 1 The Storytelling Approach and Lived Experience 1.1 The Critique of the Concept of Experience 1.2 Storytelling and the Knowledge of Resistance 1.3 Storytelling and the Appearance of Meanings 1.4 Storytelling and Subjectivity 2 Oral History and Narrative Analysis 2.1 Oral History as a Historical Narrative and the Reliability of Memory 2.2 Oral History as a Historical Narrative: Individual vs Collective 2.3 Oral History, Narrative and Subjectivity 3 Narrative Analysis and the Immaterial Dimensions of Experience 4 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 5: Conceptualising Subjectivity and Subjectivation in the Hunger Strike 1 Foucault’s Concept of Subjectivation: Technologies of the Self and Resistance 2 From Foucault to Fanon’s Technologies of the Self 2.1 Limitation of Foucault’s Theory of Subjectivation 2.2 Fanon’s Multi-dimensional Approach 2.3 From Psychology to Politics and from Individual to Collective 3 Structure of Fanon’s Decolonial Subjectivation and Technology of the Self 3.1 Fanon’s ‘Zone of Nonbeing’ and the Emancipatory Role of Revolutionary Violence 3.2 The Dialectics of Violence 4 Badiou’s Theory of Subjectivation 4.1 Badiou’s Theory of Subject: Faithful Subjectivity and Fidelity to Evental Truth 4.2 The Hunger Strike as an Exceptional Event and Subjectivity 4.3 The Context of Hunger Strike: The Exceptionality in the Notion of Continuity 4.4 Individual vs. Collective 5 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 6: The Pre-hunger-strike Stage: The Dispossession of Humanity 1 Administrative Detention as a Form of Dispossession 2 Aspects of Dispossession 2.1 Dispossession of Hope and Future 2.2 Dispossession of Love and Social Bonds 2.3 Dispossession of Dignity 3 Dignity, Freedom and the Meaning of Humanity 4 Hunger Strike Counter-Violence and Reclaiming Humanity 5 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 7: Reclaiming Dispossessed Humanity: The Decision to Hunger Strike 1 Turning Points in the Constitution of Resistant Subjectivity 1.1 Turning Points in the Moment of Arrest 1.2 The Interrogation Stage 1.3 Administrative Detention and Renewal of Detention 1.4 Gendered Violence and Reconfiguration of Gendered Body and Sexuality 2 The Emancipatory Process: From Dispossession to ‘Active Victimhood’ 3 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 8: The Embodiment of Humanity: Technologies of the Self and of Resistance in the Stages of the Hunger Strike 1 The External Conflict with the IPA: Techniques of Power and Resistance 1.1 The Initial Phase of the Hunger Strike 1.2 The Peak of the Hunger Strike 1.3 The Advanced Stage: The Dynamics of Negotiation 2 Conceptualisation of Techniques of Resistance and Technologies of the Self 2.1 Techniques of Resistance 2.2 Techniques of Resistance vs Technologies of Resistance 2.3 Technologies of the Self and Practices of Resistance 3 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 9: ‘Strength’, Conflict and the Body in Pain 1 The Conflict with the Body: Pain vs Strength 1.1 The Body in the Starvation Mode: The Internal Conflict with the Self and Bodily Needs 1.2 Fear of Body Betrayal: Body vs Will/Spirit 1.3 Pain vs Strength: Pain as a Catalyst of Strength 2 The Interlinking of the Two Conflicts and the Production of Strength 2.1 Turning Points in the Resolution of Inner Conflicts 2.2 ‘Psychological War’ with the Self and the IPA 2.3 IPA Isolation Techniques and the Inner Conflict 2.4 Transforming Pain and Producing Strength through Confrontation 3 The Conflict with Family and Loved Ones 3.1 Family: From Weakness into Strength 3.2 The Mother Figure and the Power of Resilience 4 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 10: Self-Determination and the Struggle with Death 1 Performance in the Danger Stage of Advanced Negotiation 2 The Body-Time Nexus: Collapse of the Body and Strength 3 Reaching Agreement and Reconciling with Death 4 Reclaiming Control and Exercising Sovereignty over the Body 4.1 The Strength of Decision and Irada (Will) 4.2 Two Moments of Decision: Decision as Calculation and Decision in Action 5 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 11: Strength, Continuity and Steadfastness (Sumud) 1 Continuity and the Dialectic of the Self: Victory vs Break 2 The Temporality of Resistance: The Battle of Zaman (Time) 3 The Collective Cause as a Source of Strength and Continuity 3.1 The Antagonistic Relation with the Coloniser in the ‘Clash of Wills’ 3.2 The Collective Dream of Freedom and Self-Determination 3.3 Political Consciousness: Sacrifice for a Just Cause and Icons of Resistance 4 Fidelity as Continuity 5 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 12: The Meaning of Victory: Sovereignty over the Body in the Hunger Strikers’ Philosophy of Freedom 1 The Body as ‘Bridge of Return’ 2 The Relationship of Body and Mind and the Role of Political Consciousness 3 The Relationship of Rouh (Soul) and Jasad (Body) in the Hunger Strikers’ Philosophy of Freedom 4 The Meaning of Victory in the Conception of Soul 5 Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 13: Conceptualising a Limit-Experience: The Hunger Strike as a Near-Death Event 1 ‘Unrecognisable Experience’: The Hunger Strikers’ Conceptions of Limit-Experience 2 The Transcendental Near-Death State 3 The Journey of Self-Discovery and the Mystical Quality of Self-Knowledge 4 The Hunger Strikers’ Conception of Death as an Act of Resistance 5 Conclusion: Transcendence, Limit-Experience, Subjectivation Bibliography Chapter 14: Conclusion: Political Subjectivity: From Individual to Collective Subject 1 Political Subjectivity: From the Individual to the Collective Subject 2 Methodological Challenges Bibliography Bibliography Reports Index