Published 06 August 2024 · By People's University Committee

This study session uses the history of Palestinian resistance as a case study for thinking more broadly about how people understand and challenge systems of oppression. It begins by introducing a “science of resistance”: the idea that political theories and strategies should be tested against the real historical experiences of oppressed peoples. Participants are introduced to dialectics as a framework for understanding oppression as a struggle between opposing social forces, and are encouraged to connect these ideas to struggles they are involved in themselves.

The session then applies this framework to Palestine, examining Zionist colonialism and Palestinian national liberation as opposing forces whose development has shaped one another. It traces key moments in the emergence of Zionism and the history of Palestinian resistance—from the First Zionist Congress and the early institutions of colonization through the Great Arab Revolt, the Nakba, the 1967 occupation, the rise of the PLO, the First Intifada, the Oslo period, the blockade of Gaza, and the Great March of Return. The goal is not only to learn this history, but to draw practical lessons from Palestinian resistance that participants can apply to anti-colonial and other struggles in their own contexts.

Access study slides here. Access the facilitator guide here.