Call for submissions on Gaza Under Hamas (2007-2023): The Road to October 7th.
The events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza have brought the Gaza Strip to the forefront of global attention. It has also exposed a significant shortcoming in the field of Middle Eastern studies. Scholars and experts largely failed to anticipate the scale and impact of these events, both on the immediate region and the wider global context. Scholars were also caught by a multi-layered surprise.
The first shock came from a successful military resistance operation planned and organized by the military wing of Hamas, Al Qassam Brigades, in a city often described as the largest open-air prison in the world. The second shock was the heroic resilience and ongoing resistance displayed by Palestinians in Gaza in the face of the worst genocidal war and catastrophic humanitarian crisis in decades. The third shock stemmed from the Western official and media response to the live-streamed genocide, which intentionally downplayed and justified Israeli violence, often framing it as legitimate self-defense while dehumanizing and depersonalizing Palestinians, describing them as cruel. Less surprising, however, was the Israeli response, which scholars have viewed as typical Western-backed, settler colonial violence aimed at eliminating native populations.
While much of the current academic discourse focuses on the geopolitical implications and the humanitarian crisis, there remains a significant gap in the academic literature regarding the governance and social changes that occurred in Gaza under Hamas rule from 2007 to 2023. This period of Hamas governance has been largely understudied, leaving scholars and policymakers with a limited understanding of the internal dynamics that shaped Gaza’s society, economy, and political landscape. Specifically, the gap lies in the development of what we might call Gaza’s agency and its interactions with local, regional, and international dynamics. Arguably, it is in this intersection where we can find the road to October 7th.
Rationale
The surprising nature of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and the resilience displayed by Palestinians there underscore the need for a comprehensive examination of Gaza’s governance, political economy, social forces, and culture under Hamas rule, as we believe that studying it is crucial in consolidating what we can call Gaza’s agency. This special issue aims to address this knowledge gap by inviting scholarly contributions that explore various aspects of life, governance, and social change in Gaza during the 2007-2023 period.
The Special Issue Editor(s)are
Hani Awad, Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies
hani.awad@dohainstitute.edu.qa
Tareq Hamoud, Lusail University
thamoud@dohainstitute.edu.qa
Submissions should include original research articles. Abstracts and authors’ CV should be submitted to hani.awad@dohainstitute.edu.qa, thamoud@dohainstitute.edu.qa, and critique.1992@gmail.com .
The submission of final manuscripts is expected by 31 March 2025.
For further information and for submission please see the Middle East Critique website:
