Penny Johnson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Penny Johnson

The Struggle for Sovereignty, 2006

IDS Bulletin, Mar 1, 2010

There are rising numbers of single women across the Arab world. While this is usually connected w... more There are rising numbers of single women across the Arab world. While this is usually connected with delayed marriage, Palestine shows a unique pattern of early but not universal marriage. This article looks beneath the statistics to investigate the stories behind this trend. How do young unmarried women negotiate boundaries and understand and enact choice in the context of a society experiencing prolonged insecure and warlike conditions, political crisis and social fragmentation and where the high number of unmarried women can be an increasing locus of moral panic? In conducting focus groups with two generations of women, my research looks at the prevailing importance of education, civil society and security in negotiating space within women's lives and uncovers a long tradition of unmarried women leading full and significant lives which needs to be recovered from the past.

Journal of Middle East Women's Studies, 2009

In our comparison of marriage arrangements and wedding celebrations during the first and the seco... more In our comparison of marriage arrangements and wedding celebrations during the first and the second intifada in Palestine, we focus on “political marriages” wherein the political activism and affiliation of the marital partners are of considerable importance. During the first intifada, political engagement became a major consideration in choice of marriage partner in some settings, and conventional boundaries of religion and class were transgressed. Simultaneously, marriage celebrations were transformed, whereby a widespread culture of austerity and mourning made weddings far more simple and inexpensive, as well as signaling solidarity and resistance. In the second intifada, marriage arrangements and wedding celebrations are very different. The changed political climate, with the hope and popular participation of the first intifada turned into the despair and exclusions of the second, transformed political engagement from a positive into a largely negative qualification. The material side of marriage has again become more important, public displays of consumption acceptable, and celebrations more expensive. These shift s are shaped by the effects of the post-Oslo transition, as well as by the warlike conditions on the ground. Although these conditions, from Israeli army intrusions to physical barriers to marriage, are more insecure and dangerous than in the earlier intifada, they function largely as external threats to the shaping of wedding arrangements and ceremonies, rather than generating internal transformations. For Maha Mustaqlem Nassar (1954–2008) whose committed life inspired us.

Universities and Conflict, 2017

MERIP Middle East Report, 1987

This is an examination of the intricate relationships that have evolved between Arabs and Jews as... more This is an examination of the intricate relationships that have evolved between Arabs and Jews as they have dwelled together in Israel and in territories under Israeli control. The author presents a portrait of people whose perceptions have been changed by war, religion, nationalism and political conflict. The author's purpose is not to travel over the old ground of the political or military dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead he has sought out the human dimensions of the people involved - Muslims, Arabs, Jews and Christians; Bedouins, Israeli Arabs and West Bank Palestinians; and Israeli Jews from across the spectrum of religious and political conviction. "Arab and Jew" won the Pulitzer Prize on its American publication in 1986.

The Women's Review of Books, 1991

Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 2007

Journal of Palestine Studies, 2020

<jats:p>A memorial tribute to Albert Aghazarian (1950–2020) recalling, often in his own wor... more <jats:p>A memorial tribute to Albert Aghazarian (1950–2020) recalling, often in his own words, how he grew up in the Old City of Jerusalem, his life-long passion for the city as a historian and activist, and his unique contribution to the defense of academic freedom at Birzeit University, including the rights of students and staff during his tenure as director of the Public Relations Office.</jats:p>

capacity. It is hoped the profile will contribute to both better understanding and sustained init... more capacity. It is hoped the profile will contribute to both better understanding and sustained initiatives to improve the lives, conditions and rights of Palestinian women. herald the expansion of women's roles and opportunities, and the accompanying positive development of society as a whole. On the other hand, persistent and unusually high fertility rates and unusually low formal labor force participation (both most acute in Gaza) would seem to signal major barriers for women, as well as having serious implications for

Hawwa 1, 2020

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license.

Jerusalem Quarterly, Oct 1, 2012