When Your Gandhi is Not my Gandhi: Memory Templates and Limited Violence in the Palestinian Human Rights Movement

摘要: The frequent occurrence of stonethrowing by Palestinian boys presents a dilemma pulling activists in disparate directions, provoking contested interpretations this tactic and forcing international human rights workers (HRWers) to weigh their relative commitments nonviolence, noninterference, solidarity with Palestinians. In tactical discussions, local HRWers often frame referencing historical nonviolent templates, sometimes legitimize “limited violence” condemn it. Building from fieldwork interviews, I argue that memory templates serve as master frames aid interpreting protest actions, perhaps especially settings where heterogeneous teams seek common reference they negotiate developing praxis new context. Nevertheless, these were constructed through highly selective readings the multilayered discourse complex biographies such figures Gandhi King. While “hermeneutic circle” anticipates readings, even multivocal, contradictory, King texts can be remembered applied patterns appear co-optive opposing camps principled pragmatic adherents. Grounded HRWer deliberations field, core theoretical contribution paper maps out discursive strategies employ leverage debates.