Geographical perspectives on Indigenous and Western views relationality and their influence on Palestinian liberation

Keywords: Political geography, indigenous geography, relationality, imperialism, settler-colonialism, carceral geographies
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

As Bernard Nietschmann put it, there is an ongoing conflict between the Fourth World (Indigenous peoples) and the rest of the world. From American Indigenistas resisting further capitalist encroachment and exploitation in the United States and Canada to the plight of Kurds trying to establish and build a united Kurdistan, there are multiple ongoing conflicts centered around land rights and Indigenistas’ struggle for autonomy and dignity. These struggles have now become mainstream, eliciting attention from a much wider audience. No longer are indigenous peoples trying to establish their right to life on their terms, they are now forced to play on the West’s ball court. Their relationality must take a back seat to their fight to survive and protect themselves in post-colonial world. these issues are being observed in Israel proper and Occupied Palestine, as Palestinians must contend with the oppressive nature of carceral geography. As the international community intensifies its critique of the Zionist settler colonial project known as the state of Israel, renewed discussions over statehood and how to dismantle oppressive capitalist colonialist structures globally. With the ongoing genocide in Gaza and subsequent Israeli invasion of Lebanon, this discussion, especially discussions on statehood, carceral geographies and indigenous liberation, have been pushed to the forefront of the global psyche. This paper seeks to understand how Palestinian and Western (specifically Zionist) views on relationality, ultimately influence Palestinians's struggle for liberation under a carceral system of oppression.