Project title

Settler Colonial Citizenship Between Ethno-Nationalist and Neoliberal Governmentality: The case of the Palestinians in Israel

Project description

Areej Sabbagh-Khoury’s project, situated within political and historical sociology, explores the intersection of political economy and settler colonial governmentality in the context of Palestinian citizens in Israel. Although granted citizenship since the founding of the Israeli state, Palestinians have experienced persistent socio-political and economic marginalisation. This study examines how such marginalisation has shaped the community’s current strategies for navigating an increasingly exclusionary society, despite recent moves toward purported economic “inclusion.”

The research investigates a central question: How does the Israeli state govern its Palestinian minority, and how can we understand the apparent contradiction between exclusionary settler colonial practices and recent large-scale economic investments?

Through a multi-method approach, Sabbagh-Khoury analyses the convergence of three key developments: major state investment in Palestinian society, the rise of exclusionary ethno-nationalist policies, and the growing participation of Palestinians in Israeli civic and political spheres. The project combines qualitative interviews with Palestinian and Jewish Israeli leaders and activists, quantitative analysis of state investments (including GR-922), a review of Knesset policies, and discourse analysis of Arabic and Hebrew media.

By linking political economy with broader social and political dynamics, the study offers fresh insights into the complex modes of governance shaping the lives of Palestinians in Israel.

Selected publications