The Centrality of Difference in Coalition-Building across Divides

Palestinian, Israeli, and International Organizations in the Occupied West Bank

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Michelle I. Gawerc Loyola University Maryland, USA migawerc@loyola.edu

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Abstract

Collective identities, as literature suggests, are constructed via an emphasis on sameness within a group and in the downplaying of internal difference. This study, however, found that collective agency, and resultingly, collective identity, was fueled just as much by a careful negotiation of difference as it was a group's core similarities. Based on interviews with Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists involved in two Palestinian-led coalitions in Israel/Palestine, the study shows how uneven privileges and other differences, could be leveraged for the benefit of the coalitions, particularly through assessing what each ethno-national group brought to the collective. When members enacted their closely negotiated and distinct roles, the coalition's sense of “we” was further solidified. Indeed, as this article illustrates, difference as well as unequal privileges, can be perceived as a defining feature of a strategically constructed collective identity and the reason for a partnership, not simply a problem to be managed.

Contributor Notes

Michelle I. Gawerc is an associate professor of sociology and global studies at Loyola University Maryland. Her research interests lie at the intersection of social movement studies and peace and conflict studies. She is the author of Prefiguring Peace: Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Partnerships. Her research has also been published in numerous journals including: Mobilization: An International Quarterly; Social Movement Studies; Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change; Peace and Change: A Journal of Peace Research; International Journal of Peace Studies; Journal of Peacebuilding and Development; Conflict Resolution Quarterly; Peace Review; and Sociology Compass. ORCID: 0000-0003-2171-6713. Email: migawerc@loyola.edu

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The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest

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