PRESENTATION |
Thursday, 08.09.2016 19:30-20:20 Room A |
Perceptions and narratives of Arab, Muslim and Palestinian people in animal rights discourse |
Liz Tyson |
The Palestinian Animal League is the only locally-run animal protection organization in the occupied Palestinian territories. The work of the organization is subject to regular "derailing" and misperception due, in part, to overarching stereotypes surrounding Arab/Muslim/Palestinian treatment of animals. This derailing and misperception comes from both inside and outside of the animal rights movement. This creates challenges for both Palestinian team members and non-Palestinian/Muslim/Arab allies. This presentation seeks to explore the situations in which these instances occur, how Palestinian/ Arab/ Muslim activists might overcome them and how allies can ensure that they do not fuel this negative process. The extent to which these observations can be extended to other minority/non-white activists and groups is open for discussion. It may be that, while recognizing that each individual`s experience is unique, there could be useful application of these ideas in the wider movement. We welcome thoughts and discussion on this at the end of the presentation. |