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Circuits of Liberation from South Africa to Palestine
Abstract
This paper analyses the geographies of liberation grounded in transnational networks of solidarity between Palestine/Israel and South Africa. These networks are rooted in long histories of connection between the Palestinian and South African liberation movements. And, after 1994, hundreds of Black South Africans have travelled to Palestine/Israel to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, bear witness to the occupation, or simply learn about the struggle. Two themes stand out in their testimonials: a familiarity with the situation and an insistence that the violence confronting Palestinians today is worse than what Black South Africans faced under white minority rule. In recent years, hundreds of Palestinians have also travelled to South Africa for study, solidarity, and speaking tours. After these visits, Palestinians are often buoyed by expressions of solidarity from Black South Africans and inspired by the political freedoms that they experience. Many Palestinians see in South Africa a principled rejection of settler colonialism and a model of coexistence based on a common humanity. At the same time, some Palestinians express serious concerns about the persistence of racism and inequality in South Africa after apartheid. These exchanges help situate Palestine and South Africa as central nodes within a transnational network of struggles against racism, capitalism, colonialism, and empire. This paper is based on interviews with participants in transnational exchanges – Palestinians and Israelis who have travelled to South Africa and South Africans who have travelled to Palestine/Israel – including students, artists, NGO employees, and political organizers. I supplement this data with an archive of written reports, testimonials, and news articles based on these exchanges. Analyzing the geographies of liberation grounded in these networks, I argue that South Africa has come to represent not only a model of successful struggle against settler-colonial rule but also a cautionary tale about the limitations of a purely rights-based approach to liberation.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
Africa (Sub-Saharan)
Palestine
Sub Area
None