Tough Love: A Diasporic Critique of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement

Abstract

The authors use a diasporic critique of Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movements to argue that some of these movements undermine chances for two-state solutions. The authors, provide a nuanced way of evaluating both the theoretical and pragmatic dimensions of BDS. The argument is advanced that those in the diaspora have a nomadic positionality that allows them to uniquely critique venues such as (BDS), The Electronic Intifada, and Mondoweiss as they analyze the rhetoric of Palestinian nationalist movements. Diasporic critiques are able to trace the fissures, the ossifications, and the ruptures that take place in the Middle East as various acts of territoriality, deterritoriality, and reterritorialization take place simultaneously.