Description
Book SynopsisThis book is a groundbreaking international history of Palestinian refugee politics. Anne Irfan demonstrates that refugee groups are important actors in global politics, not simply aid recipients, and recasts modern Palestinian history through the lens of refugee camps and communities.
Trade ReviewThis book constitutes an original and thoroughly researched contribution to the study of both the interaction of international bodies, notably UNRWA, with the Palestine question, and of the agency of Palestinians, whether camp dwellers or the PLO, in relation to these bodies. It is one of the most fine-grained studies extant of UNRWA’s work and of its role as a quasi-state. -- Rashid Khalidi, author of
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017With exemplary clarity and care, Irfan tells the story of how the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees became a significant locus for Palestinian national politics—for articulating what it means to be a Palestinian refugee and what it means to be a Palestinian. This is an excellent and original book. -- Benjamin Thomas White, author of
The Emergence of Minorities in the Middle East: The Politics of Community in French Mandate SyriaAnne Irfan’s study of UNRWA from its inception to the 1970s is both very timely and an important contribution to fields such as refugee studies, Palestinian history, and the history of
international institutions...I strongly recommend the book. -- Jørgen Jensehaugen * Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) *
Regrettably timely...a riveting historical overview of the lives and experiences of Palestinians in the UNRWA camps. -- Marc Lynch * Abu Aardvark *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Note on Transliteration and Translation
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Part I. Remaking Refugeehood1. Becoming Refugees
2. From Refuge to Revolution
3. An International Regime
Part II. Resisting the Regime4. Palestinian Perceptions
5. Agents of the Nation
6. Palestine at the UN
Epilogue: Resistance After Revolution
Appendix A: Palestinian Refugee Figures
Appendix B: Palestinian Refugee Camps
Glossary
Notes
Bibliography
Index
