Overview

In opposition to the PA, liberal as well as Islamic social forces promote policies of protest and resistance, through media tools, against the authoritarian policies of the PA. The media is viewed as a public sphere in which these forces compete. Media institutions play an important role in setting the parameters of communication in processes of state building: promoting public debate and forming public spheres influence the modes of state-civil society relations. Combining concepts of political communication with social movement theory, the author examines the extent to which public opinion plays a role in determining the character of the political regime. The rising tension between the Palestinian Authority's attempts to deepen its control over society and the reaction to this development by opposition groups informs the analysis of each civil institution: the role of NGOs, the Islamic movement, the women's movement and Palestinian feminism, and the liberal-democratic intellectual elite, are all assessed through their media institutions and communication policies, to reveal the character of the emerging Palestinian public sphere.

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9781845190392

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Reviews

An impressive, thoughtful, and well-documented study of the complexities of Palestinian politics in the last decade. It is a pioneering study reflecting on the plural character of the Palestinian public sphere and the attempts of social movements and the media to influence the process of state-building. -- Prof. Shaul Mishal (Department of Political Science, Tel Aviv University), co-author of Investment in Peace: The Politics of Economic Cooperation Between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians. Amal Jamal's penetrating critique of the political system that is emerging since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 emphasizes the struggle by important social movements to achieve autonomy, curb the authoritarian tendencies of the elite, and counter the overwhelming power wielded by Israel. He provides a nuanced analysis of the roles of the media, NGOs, the women's movement, and the Islamists in this ongoing struggle to define and enlarge the public sphere. -- Ann M. Lesch, Professor of Political Science and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, American University in Cairo, and author of Political Perceptions of the Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

An impressive, thoughtful, and well-documented study of the complexities of Palestinian politics in the last decade. It is a pioneering study reflecting on the plural character of the Palestinian public sphere and the attempts of social movements and the media to influence the process of state-building. - Prof. Shaul Mishal (Department of Political Science, Tel Aviv University), co-author of Investment in Peace: The Politics of Economic Cooperation Between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians. Amal Jamal's penetrating critique of the political system that is emerging since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 emphasizes the struggle by important social movements to achieve autonomy, curb the authoritarian tendencies of the elite, and counter the overwhelming power wielded by Israel.He provides a nuanced analysis of the roles of the media, NGOs, the women's movement, and the Islamists in this ongoing struggle to define and enlarge the public sphere. - Ann M. Lesch, Professor of Political Science and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, American University in Cairo, and author of Political Perceptions of the Palestinians on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Author Information

Amal Jamal is Professor in Political Science at Tel Aviv University. He is the author of The Palestinian National Movement and the Politics of Contention, 19672003. His research interests are political communication; state building and civil society; minority politics and democratic theory.

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