Gendered Realities in Gaza: Reconfigurations of Masculinities and Femininities Amid Genocidal Violence
The ongoing genocidal violence in Gaza has transformed the very fabric of gender roles and identities, creating ‘death-spaces’ where survival is the only goal. In these spaces, traditional masculine roles of breadwinner, protector, and decision-maker have been shattered, leaving men grappling with feelings of helplessness as the destruction exceeds their ability to fulfill these responsibilities. At the same time, women are forced to confront unimaginable hardships, including navigating pregnancy and childbirth in dangerous, unsanitary conditions with no access to medical care.
This talk will explore the profound reconfigurations of gender roles, highlighting how both men and women in Gaza are forced to renegotiate their identities in the face of devastation. Further, I will reflect on the limits of language, scholarship, and theory in capturing the full scope of these lived experiences and consider new frameworks for understanding gender in spaces of mass violence and annihilation.
Program Welcome by Inger Skjelsbæk (STK) Presentation by Khalid Dader (University of Tampere) Comments by Marte Heian-Engdal Discussion/Q&A