SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Overview

Centre for Palestine Studies (CPS)

PhD Student Associate Member

Name:

Miss Lauren Banko

Email address:

lauren.banko@soas.ac.uk

Thesis title:

The 'Invention' of Palestinian Citizenship: Discourses and Practices, 1918-1939

Year of Study:

2009

Internal Supervisors

• Nelida Fuccaro

PhD Research

The aim of my research is to historicise both the British legislative discourses that defined and restricted the meaning of Palestinian citizenship and nationality under the Palestine Mandate, and the counter-definition and reactions in terms of discourses and practices of citizenship and civic rights by Palestinian populist leaders.  The thesis aims to analyse how citizenship as a certificate under the British colonial institution/international trusteeship of the Palestine Mandate became associated with national identity and the accompanying discourse of civic rights.  Alongside this, the more radical and populist Palestinian leaders framed citizenship as part of their discourses on national identity and civic rights as part of their discourse on the practices of being of Palestinian.  My research shows hows the grassroots leaders did this through the use of various social organisations and the discussions spread through writings in newspapers, conferences, protests, non-cooperation tactics (against the British Mandate), demonstrations, and strikes.
My archival research involves the British Mandate records, League of Nations records, and within Palestine and Israel, I use press archives, personal papers and memoirs of populist leaders

PhD Conferences

• MESA 2010
• SWANA 2011

PhD Affiliations

• London Middle East Institute
• Palestine American Research Center
• Palestine Exploration Fund
• Middle East Studies Association
• British Council for Research in the Levant