Violence, Resistance, and Narratives: Sociological Perspectives on the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict 1600-SZD-SPEC-PO-SOC
This course invites students to engage in a critical reflection on the origins and architecture of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It is structured around three conceptual and theoretical modules that situate the issues under discussion within a sociological framework of analysis. Rather than offering a comprehensive historical overview, the course adopts a problem-oriented approach, focusing on themes that are particularly significant from a sociological perspective: narrative frameworks, structural violence, asymmetries of power, resistance and agency, and questions of justice and injustice. The first module, Myths and Narratives, examines representations of the “Middle East” in Western discourses and explores the narratives, myths, and ideologies that shape images of Palestine, Israel, and the “Holy Land”. The second module addresses the anthropology of uprooting and dispossession. Beginning with the experiences and figures of Palestinian refugees, it focuses on both the material and discursive forms of erasure that accompany displacement and exclusion. The third module centres on the anthropology of violence. It explores, among other issues, the architecture of occupation and mechanisms of elimination in the West Bank and Gaza, while also engaging in a critical examination of concepts such as terrorism and resistance.
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge | The graduate knows and understands:
WG_01 - to the extent necessary for existing paradigms to be revised - a worldwide body of work, covering theoretical foundations as well as general and selected specific issues - relevant to a particular discipline
within the social sciences
WG_02 - the main development trends in the disciplines of the social sciences in which the education is provided
WG_03 - scientific research methodology in the field of the social sciences
WK_01 - fundamental dilemmas of modern civilisation from the perspective of the social sciences
Skills | The graduate is able to:
UK_05 - speaking a foreign language at B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages using the professional terminology specific to the discipline within the social sciences, to the extent enabling participation in an international scientific and professional environment
Social competences | The graduate is ready to
KO_01 - fulfilling the social obligations of researchers and creators
KO_02 - fulfilling social obligations and taking actions in the public interest, in particular in initiating actions in the public interest
KO_03 - think and acting in an entrepreneurial manner
Assessment criteria
Description of requirements related to participation in classes, including the permitted number of explained absences: Students need to read 2 chapters/articles for each class and be ready for active participation, 1 absence is permitted
Principles for passing the classes and the subject (including resit session): Regular participation in class discussions demonstrating comprehension of the assigned readings and the ability to engage in critical analysis, plus an in-class essay examination.
Methods for the verification of learning outcomes: Participation in class discussions (30%) and a written assignment based on a book selected from the reading list (70%). The same assessment requirements apply to the resit examination session.
Evaluation criteria: participation in class discussions (30%) + marked essay (70%)
Bibliography
• Blachnicka-Ciacek, D. (2026). Gaza – Kijów – Warszawa: wspólna sprawa? O empatycznej i zaangażowanej praktyce socjologicznej. Studia Socjologiczne, 1, 5–21. https://doi.org/10.24425/sts.2026.158652
• Collins, J. (2004). Occupied by memory: The Intifada generation and the Palestinian state of emergency. New York, NY: New York University Press. (fragmenty)
• Herzl, T. (2006). Państwo żydowskie. Przekład Jacek Surzyn. Kraków Wydawnictwo Austeria (fragment – Część ogólna. Kwestia żydowska)
• Marcus, A. D. (2007). Jerusalem 1913: The origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict. New York, NY: Viking. (Część 1)
• Pappé, I. (2007). Czystki etniczne w Palestynie. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Książka i Prasa. (wybrane rozdziały)
• Said, E. W. (2005). Orientalizm. Warszawa: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy (Wstęp I rozdział 1)
• Shehadeh, R., & Johnson, P. (2026). Zapomniane. W poszukiwaniu ukrytych miejsc i zaginionych pomników przeszłości w Palestynie (A. Sak, tłum.). Kraków: Wydawnictwo Karakter. (fragmenty)
• Shehadeh, R. (2024). Dlaczego Izrael boi się Palestyny? (A. Sak, tłum.). Kraków: Wydawnictwo Karakter. (fragment)
• Khalidi, R. (2023). Wojna stuletnia o Palestynę: Historia kolonializmu osadniczego i oporu, 1917–2017. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
• Pędziwiatr, K. (red.). (2016). Na Zachodnim Brzegu bez zmian. Kraków: Książka i Prasa. (rozdział 2, 3 I 4)
• Teller, N. (2022). Jerozolima: Nowa biografia miasta. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie. (szczególnie rozdział 2)
• Weizman, E. (2007). Hollow land: Israel’s architecture of occupation. Verso. (fragment) *
MAPS & REPORTS
• Forensic Architecture, A Cartography of Genocide: Israel’s Conduct in Gaza since October 2023, https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/a-cartography-of-genocide (dostęp: 29 kwietnia 2026).
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA oPt). https://www.ochaopt.org/maps - wybór map
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA oPt). (n.d.). Situation reports. https://www.ochaopt.org/publications/situation-reports
*The final reading list will be finalised at a later date and adjusted according to the language in which the course is taught