“Whither the ‘Children of the Stone’? An Entire Life under Occupation”

The storied generation of shabab (youth) who brought global attention to Palestine through their historically unparalleled activism during the first intifada are now adults – and nothing they fought for has come to pass. Dr. Brian K. Barber examines this situation by posing a series of questions about the first generation of Palestinians to live their entire lives under occupation. His presentation examines how the occupation has shaped their lives historically and at present, and how they feel about their present and future. In order to deepen our understanding of this crucial generation of Palestinians, Dr. Barber draws on two sources. The first derives from intensive interviews he has conducted over the past two decades among the youth in Gaza; these narratives form the basis of a book he is writing during a fellowship at the New America Foundation, tentatively titled “Imprisoned for Life: Coming of Age in the Gaza Strip.” The second source for his presentation uses excerpts from his ongoing, comprehensive study of the current wellbeing and life histories of 1,800 men and women of this generation, who come from the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The findings of this unprecedented study conducted in 2011 have been most recently published in the Journal of Palestine Studies.

Brian K. Barber, Ph.D. is a New America Fellow in Washington, DC, a Professor of Child and Family Studies, and Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Youth and Political Conflict at the University of Tennessee. His prime field of research has been Palestine, beginning with long residencies with families in or near refugee camps in the Gaza Stripafter the ending of the firstintifada, and many visits since. Barber is editor of the 2009 Oxford University Press volumeAdolescents and War: How Youth Deal with Political Conflict, and his work on Palestinian youth has been published in many book chapters and scholarly articles, including: The Lancet, Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Traumatic Stress,Global Public Health, Child Development Perspectives, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Human Development. His writings on Palestine have also appeared inMedium, New America Weekly, Muftah, Informed Comment,Alternet, and openDemocracy.

Copies of Adolescents and War: How Youth Deal with Political Conflict, and the newly released issue of the Journal of Palestine Studies that includes his article will be available for purchase at the event.