Rethinking Human Rights: Critical Insights from Palestinian Youth

Human rights are central to Palestinian society and specifically its young people, and yet there is a high degree of cynicism towards its discourse. Drawing on research in the occupied West Bank, this book explores the three layers of marginalisation faced by Palestinian young people-the occupation; the Palestinian pseudo-state; and patriarchal structures-to show how these barriers influence their understanding of, and scepticism towards, human rights. Influenced by decolonialist theories, this book illuminates how space needs to be created for the counter-narratives of the oppressed in human rights discourse which may not align with more orthodox representations of human rights. It contends that human rights in the Palestinian context (and beyond) needs to be critiqued, decolonised and ultimately transformed.