Gender and Settler Colonialism in Palestinian Agriculture: Structural Transformations

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Arab Studies Quarterly

Volume 38, Issue 3

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Gender and Settler Colonialism in Palestinian Agriculture: Structural Transformations

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Author(s): Nida Abu Awwad

Publication date (Print): Summer 2016

Journal: Arab Studies Quarterly

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: gender, settler colonialism, structural transformation, Palestine, West Bank, Gaza Strip, Zionist settlements, Palestinian agriculture, women's contribution

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Abstract

The gendered nature of the agricultural sector is significantly influenced by the political and socio-economic and cultural structure of any society. The division of labor between males and females within the family farm is seriously affected as a response to economic pressures along with the impact of other restrictions imposed by predetermined gender roles. In the Palestinian context, economic pressures were created mainly by the structural transformation in Palestinian agriculture following the Zionist settler colonization of Palestine, along with other minor factors related to the Palestinian neoliberal economic policies dictated by the international financial institution and Zionist interests. This article argues that the gendered nature of the Palestinian agriculture sector has been transformed and has promoted women's exploitation as follows: First, restructure of the agricultural employment by the decline of both women's and men's employment of the total Palestinian labor force within serious exploitive and fluctuating conditions; second, changes in tasks and division of labor, women's property rights for agricultural land resources and services provided by the Palestinian Authority; and finally increasing women's burden by increasing their time allocation for agricultural tasks. The data presented in the article are based on a comprehensive analysis of secondary information on Palestinian agriculture, and primary data collected in 2010 with the help of a few households case studies (life history) from two locations in the central region of the West Bank.

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Author and article information

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Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): arabstudquar

Title: Arab Studies Quarterly

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 02713519

ISSN (Electronic): 20436920

Publication date (Print): Summer 2016

Volume: 38

Issue: 3

Pages: 540-561

Article

Publisher ID: arabstudquar.38.3.0540

DOI: 10.13169/arabstudquar.38.3.0540

SO-VID: 1230e688-05b5-4be6-98eb-8c602fd99d80

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

References

Abed, George T. (ed.) (1988). The Palestinian Economy: Studies in Development under Prolonged Occupation . London and New York, NY: Routledge.
Abu Awwad, Nida (2012). Informal Economy and Power Relationships within a Settler-Colonial Context: The Case of the Palestinian West Bank following the Second Intifada (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Exeter: Exeter University.
Abu-Lughod, Janet (1980). The Demographic Transformation of Palestine: Relevance for Planning Palestine Open University. In Palestine Open University Feasibility Study, Part II . Paris: UNESCO. Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000822/082220eb.pdf>.
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Samara, Adel (2000). Globalization, the Palestinian Economy, and the “Peace Process.” Journal of Palestine Studies , 29(2), 20–34.
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Swedenburg, Ted (1990). The Palestinian Peasant as National Signifier. Anthropological Quarterly , 63(1), 18–30.
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Comment on this article

[1] Abed, George T. (ed.) (1988). The Palestinian Economy: Studies in Development under Prolonged Occupation . London and New York, NY: Routledge.

[2] Abu Awwad, Nida (2012). Informal Economy and Power Relationships within a Settler-Colonial Context: The Case of the Palestinian West Bank following the Second Intifada (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Exeter: Exeter University.

[3] Abu-Lughod, Janet (1980). The Demographic Transformation of Palestine: Relevance for Planning Palestine Open University. In Palestine Open University Feasibility Study, Part II . Paris: UNESCO. Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000822/082220eb.pdf>.

[4] Agrawal, Bina (1994). Gender and Command over Property: A Critical Gap in Economic Analysis and Policy in South Asia. World Development , 22(10), 1455–1478. Web. Accessed July 8, 2016. <http://binaagarwal.com/downloads/apapers/gender_and_command_over_property.pdf>.

[5] Al-Botmeh, S. (2013). “Barriers to Female Labor Market Participation and Entrepreneurship in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” The Centre for Development Studies, Birzeit University and the Young Women's Christian Association of Palestine, Birzeit, Palestine.

[6] Al-Far, Shireen (2013). The Middleman . Television Report for Wattan News Agency, Palestine. Web. Accessed July 8, 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5LjtdTo_fc>.

[7] Brodie, Janine (1994). Shifting the Boundaries: Gender and the Politics of Restructuring. In The Strategic Silence: Gender and Economic Policy , ed. Isabella Bakker. London: Zed, 46–60.

[8] Farsakh, Leila (2008). The Political Economy of Israeli Occupation: What Is Colonial about It? The MIT Electronic Journal of Middle East Studies , 8 Spring, 21–36.

[9] Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nation (2011). “Women in Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development.” The State of Food and Agriculture, Rome. Web. Accessed July 8, 2016. <http://www.fao.org/publications/sofa/2010–11/ar>.

[10] Friedemann-Sanches, Greta (2006). Assets in Intrahousehold Bargaining among Women Working in Colombia's Cut-Flower Industry. Feminist Economics , 12(1), 247–296.

[11] Hammami, R. (1997). “Labor and Economy: Gender Segmentation in Palestinian Economic Life.” Palestinian Women: A Status Report, 4. Women's Studies Program, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine. Web. Accessed July 8, 2016. <http://www.birzeit.edu/institutes/wom_std>.

[12] Hilal, Jamil, Kafri, Saleh, and Kuttab, Eileen (2008). “Unprotected Employment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: A Gender Equality and Workers' Rights Perspective.” International Organization-Regional Office for Arab States and Center for Arab Women Training and Research, Lebanon. Web. Accessed July 8, 2016. <www.ilo.org.lb>.

[13] Hurst, Peter, Termine, Paola, and Karl, Marilee (2005). “Agricultural Workers and Their Contribution to Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development.” FAO-ILO-IUF. Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://www.fao-ilo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/fao_ilo/pdf/engl_agricultureC4163.pdf>.

[14] Ilahi, Nadeem (2000). “The Intra-Household Allocation of Time and Tasks: What Have We Learnt from the Empirical Literature?” Working Paper Series No. 13, June. The World Bank, Policy Research Report on Gender and Development. Web. <http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGENDER/Resources/wp13.pdf>.

[15] Isaac, Jad and Ghanyem, Mohammad (2001). “Environmental Degradation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” Applied Research Institution-Jerusalem (ARIJ). Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://www.arij.org/files/admin/2003/2003%20environmental%20degradation%20and%20the%20israeli-palestinian%20conflict.pdf>.

[16] Kurzom, George (2001). Towards Alternative Self-Reliant Agricultural Development . Ramallah, Palestine: MAA'N Development Center & Development Center Studies, Birzeit University.

[17] Kuttab, Eileen (1989). Community Development under Occupation: An Alternative Strategy. Journal of Refugee Studies , 2(1), 131–138.

[18] Kuttab, Eileen (2006). The Paradox of Women's Work. In Living Palestine: Family Survival, Resistance and Mobility under Occupation , ed. Lisa Taraki. New York, NY: Syracuse University Press, 231–276.

[19] The Ministry of Finance (2013). “General Budget for 2013.” Palestinian National Authority, Ramallah, Palestine.

[20] Naqib, Fadle (1999). The Palestinian Economy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip: Stage Problem: The Uprising and Future Policies . 2nd ed. Beirut, Palestine: The Institute for Palestinian Studies.

[21] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (1996). “Labour Force Survey: Main Findings (September-October) Round.” Labour Force Survey Series, No. 1. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ramallah, Palestine.

[22] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (1997). “Labour Force Survey: Main Findings (July-September) Round.” Labour Force Survey Series, No. 7. Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ramallah, Palestine.

[23] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (2011). “Agricultural Census 2010: Final Results—Palestinian Territory.” Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ramallah, Palestine.

[24] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (2014). “Israeli Settlements in Palestine, Annual Statistical Report 2013.” Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ramallah, Palestine.

[25] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (2015a). “Labour Force Survey: Annual Report: 2014.” Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Ramallah, Palestine.

[26] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (2015b). “National Accounts at Current and Constant Prices (2014).” Ramallah, Palestine. Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2172.pdf>.

[27] Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (2016). “Labour Force Survey: Annual Report: 2015.” Ramallah, Palestine. Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2194.pdf>.

[28] Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture (2010). “Agriculture Sector Strategy: ‘A Shared Vision’ 2011–2013.” July. Palestinian National Authority, Palestine. Web. Accessed July 31, 2014. <http://www.lacs.ps/documentsShow.aspx?ATT_ID=3991>.

[29] Peters, Beverly L. and Peters, John E. (1998). “Women and Land Tenure Dynamics in Pre-Colonial, Colonial, and Post-Colonial Zimbabwe.” Web. Accessed July 8, 2016. https://www.princeton.edu/jpia/past-issues-1/1998/10.pdf.

[30] Roy, Sara (1995). Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-development . Washington, DC: The Institute of Palestinian Studies.

[31] Roy, Sara (2001). “Palestinian Society and Economy: The Continued Denial of Possibility.” Journal of Palestinian Studies , 30(4), 5–20.

[32] Samara, Adel (2000). Globalization, the Palestinian Economy, and the “Peace Process.” Journal of Palestine Studies , 29(2), 20–34.

[33] Shaban, Radwan A (1999). The Harsh Reality of Closures. In Development under Adversity: The Palestinian Economy in Transition , ed. Ishac Diwan and Radwan A. Shaban. Washington, DC: Palestinian Economic Policy Research Institution (MAS) and World Bank.

[34] Stewart, Frances (1992). Can Adjustment Programmes Incorporate the Interests of Women? In Women and Adjustment Policies in the Third World , eds. Haleh Afshar and Carolyne Dennis. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 13–45.

[35] Swedenburg, Ted (1990). The Palestinian Peasant as National Signifier. Anthropological Quarterly , 63(1), 18–30.

[36] World Bank (2009). “West Bank and Gaza—Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development.” World Bank, Washington, DC. Web. Accessed July 19, 2016. <http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2009/04/10752775/west-bank-gaza-assessment-restrictions-palestinian-water-sector-development>.

[37] Zeleza, Paul Tiyambe (2005). Colonialism: Africa. In New Dictionary of the History of Ideas , ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Vol. 1. Detroit, MI: Charles Scribner's Sons, 369–375. Student Resources in Context. Web. Accessed March 13, 2015. <http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SUIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3424300131&source=Bookmark&u=bcps&jsid=92891b9d1a7662f7fa04f01c9f567b12>.

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