Tactics and strategies of power: The construction of spaces of belonging for Palestinian women in Jaffa–Tel Aviv

SynopsisAdopting a qualitative method, the study examines the everyday tactics that sixty Palestinian women from Jaffa employ in order to cope with various strategies of power – gender, cultural, national and global – that limit their everyday spatial practices. Based on the narratives of these women, the study suggests to distinguish between pro-active and non-active tactics which create or diminish the construction of spaces of belonging on the base of daily negotiations, and ways of maneuvering that Palestinian women use against these strategies of power. Pro-active tactics create alternative spaces; enable the manipulation of social and cultural codes; and create the home as a space of independence. Non-active tactics work against ethnic allocation; discriminatory Palestinian and Jewish development and Islamization of space. The study considers spaces of belonging, which are created by daily negotiations and tactics, to be the “third space”, not only the space occupied by oppressed and marginalized groups, but also a space of opportunities that affords these women the possibility of making changes in their spatial practices.

► We interviewed sixty Palestinian women of three age groups living in Jaffa.
► We examine the everyday tactics that women employ to cope with various strategies.
► Spaces of belonging are consist of pro-active and non-active tactics.
► Sense of belonging is created by the daily negotiations and successful tactics.
► They create “third space”, where they can have spatial practices changing.