Santiago Ripoll, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.
In this piece I highlight the importance of anthropology and social theory when approaching the ongoing attack on Gaza. In the first section, I show how actors involved within the conflict are themselves interpreting the world through these theories and reframing and targeting the urban space with disastrous humanitarian consequences. In the second section I highlight how anthropologists and the institutions that host them are constrained on what they can say about the conflict. Further I show that we are best positioned to understand why this silencing is occurring and hopefully resist it. I highlight some potential avenues for advocacy, based on human rights and International Humanitarian Law that can help in such a polarised environment. I finish by suggesting a series of JRAI articles that illustrate the value of anthropological analysis of Israel/Palestine and the challenges of engaged anthropology.
