Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique

De: Sa'ed Atshan

Narrado por: Amir Haidar

From Ramallah to New York, Tel Aviv to Porto Alegre, people around the world celebrate a formidable, transnational Palestinian LGBTQ social movement. Solidarity with Palestinians has become a salient domain of global queer politics. Yet LGBTQ Palestinians, even as they fight patriarchy and imperialism, are themselves subjected to an "empire of critique" from Israeli and Palestinian institutions, Western academics, journalists and filmmakers, and even fellow activists. Such global criticism has limited growth and led to an emphasis within the movement on anti-imperialism over the struggle against homophobia.

With this book, Sa'ed Atshan asks how transnational progressive social movements can balance struggles for liberation along more than one axis. He explores critical junctures in the history of Palestinian LGBTQ activism, revealing the queer Palestinian spirit of agency, defiance, and creativity, in the face of daunting pressures and forces working to constrict it. Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique explores the necessity of connecting the struggles for Palestinian freedom with the struggle against homophobia.

©2020 The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

Great Queer Palestine Critique

This book provided a very complete analysis of how LGBT rights are compared in Palestinian vs Israeli societies and how Israel uses its “supposed” LGBT friendly status to gain support for oppression of the Palestinian people, “pink washing.” It was a bit long and wordy at points, but was a worthwhile and enlightening listen.