Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture Lecture Series 2013

Social Fragmentation and Sustainability in Palestinian
Communities:

Resilience and Uncertainty in Everyday Life

Dr. Joshua Rickard

18:30-20:00, March 3rd, 2014
Sophia University Yotsuya Campus, Building 10, 3F, Room
301

This talk will focus on social cohesion and community stability in the Palestinian city of Nablus. Nablus was under military siege throughout the period of the second intifada (2000-2006) during which time people were unable to leave their neighbourhoods and in many cases were confined to their homes for extended periods of time. Strict restrictions also inhibited the movement of people, products and information from one area to another. In order to facilitate local stability, communities had to develop social networks either based on political movements or kinship ties, these also became significant factors in the formation of local identities. By looking at examples of how some communities dealing with the adverse conditions of long-term isolation were resilient in coping, and others were not, this will offer insight into the differences in social and logistical situations between various communities that contributed to their organisation in endurance. Finally, this will look at recent changes since the end of the second intifada and the presence of external actors in facilitating development projects, this will raise questions in attempts to explain how Nablus area communities which were recently able to maintain a minimum level of self-sufficiency, are now facing increasing social fragmentation.

Joshua Rickard holds a Ph.D. in social anthropology from the University of Kent at Canterbury. He has carried out fieldwork in Nablus, Palestine since 2007 and is currently a research fellow in the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore where he is working on a book project: Divided Identities:
The Systematic Social Fragmentation of Palestinian Society. Prior to engaging in academic research he worked as a photographer and journalist, and continues to incorporate visual imagery into his work. His main areas of interest are social cohesion, community identity, civil participation and political mobilisation.

Lecture in English / No Prior Registration Necessary

Sophia University Institute of Comparative Culture: 7-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554, diricc@sophia.ac.jp Web: http://icc.fla.sophia.ac.jp/