Palestinian Youth Movement and Counter-Hegemony: The Use of Non-Formal Education for Identity and Citizenship Among Palestinian in the ‘48

This thesis examines the existence and role of counter-hegemonic discourses among Palestinians in the ’48 territories, Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship but whose families neither fled nor were expelled, but might have been internally displace, during the Nakba. Focusing on youth movements and non-formal educational institutions, the study explores how alternative spaces of education provide platforms for challenging the Israeli state’s framing of identity and citizenship, and whether such spaces contribute to alternative forms of social reproduction. The theoretical framework combines Gramsci’s theory of hegemony with social reproduction theory, both of which emphasise power, dominance, and the mechanisms through which social hierarchies are sustained. While formal education in Israel has been shown to transmit exclusionary narratives that privilege the Jewish majority and marginalise Palestinians, non-formal education offers opportunities for resistance. It enables the cultivation of alternative identities and narratives that contest hegemonic discourses, thereby empowering non-core communities and fostering critical engagement with citizenship and belonging. Adopting a transformative qualitative methodology, the thesis centres on social justice and empowerment, is its focus on addressing power issues and inequality. This approach ensures that marginalised groups are not treated as passive subjects but active contributors to the knowledge of the research. Primary data is collected through twelve semi-structured interviews with members of Palestinian youth movements, complemented by secondary sources from existing literature. Thematic analysis is employed to identify recurring patterns across participants’ perspectives, with particular attention to their experiences of citizenship, the influence of the Israeli education system, and the role of non-formal education in countering hegemonic knowledge. The thesis argue that Palestinian youth movements actively resist dominant state ideologies and construct counter-hegemonic discourses through non-formal educational practices. By doing so, they contribute to alternative forms of cultural and social reproduction that challenge ethnic hierarchies and propose more inclusive understandings of identity and citizenship. Ultimately, this research highlights the significance of non-formal education as a site of resistance within divided societies and as a means of sustaining minority agency against entrenched structures of power.