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A review by taratearex
Palestine: A Socialist Introduction by Sumaya Awad, Brian Bean
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
This is an essay collection by multiple writers looking at Palestine through a socialist lens. There are some essays I found more engaging then others, as per usual with a collection, but overall it was a good read. I feel like the title is a bit misleading, as this doesn't read like an introduction text to me, on either Palestine (which I have a good understanding of) or Socialism (which I have a very basic understanding of). I still think there is a lot to gain from the essays even if some of them went deep into the weeds- which is great if you already have some understanding and may be too much or too specific for someone looking for an introduction.
The strongest essays to me were:
"Not an Ally: the Israeli Working Class" -analyzing how labor rights and the working class relate to the struggle for Palestinian freedom
"Multiple Jeopardy: Gender and Liberation in Palestine" covering a number of things from White Feminism to Palestinian women contribution in liberation work and their erasure from it
"Cops Here, Bombs There: Black-Palestinian Solidarity" which talks about solidarity in the 60's to the present
I will also say there is an essay "The National Liberation Struggle: A Socialist Analysis" that I remembered seeing this thread a while back https://twitter.com/Louis_Allday/status/1392053238967451649 and this is one of the essays that for me went a bit too deep into the weeds regarding socialism and like I said my socialism history is not great, so I can't say much about that criticism. There is also this review which also addresses this essay and the introductory framework from the editors: https://viewpointmag.com/2021/12/11/the-palestinian-left-will-not-be-hijacked-a-critique-of-palestine-a-socialist-introduction/
This book is currently, and frequently, offered as a free e-book from the publisher Haymarket Books.
The strongest essays to me were:
"Not an Ally: the Israeli Working Class" -analyzing how labor rights and the working class relate to the struggle for Palestinian freedom
"Multiple Jeopardy: Gender and Liberation in Palestine" covering a number of things from White Feminism to Palestinian women contribution in liberation work and their erasure from it
"Cops Here, Bombs There: Black-Palestinian Solidarity" which talks about solidarity in the 60's to the present
I will also say there is an essay "The National Liberation Struggle: A Socialist Analysis" that I remembered seeing this thread a while back https://twitter.com/Louis_Allday/status/1392053238967451649 and this is one of the essays that for me went a bit too deep into the weeds regarding socialism and like I said my socialism history is not great, so I can't say much about that criticism. There is also this review which also addresses this essay and the introductory framework from the editors: https://viewpointmag.com/2021/12/11/the-palestinian-left-will-not-be-hijacked-a-critique-of-palestine-a-socialist-introduction/
This book is currently, and frequently, offered as a free e-book from the publisher Haymarket Books.