Olive growing in Palestine: A decolonial ethnographic study of collective daily-forms-of-resistance

Decolonial ethnographic methods
Participant observation
Reflective journaling
Interviews

This study explores the daily lives of Palestinian olive growers under military occupation, employing decolonial ethnography to examine collective forms of resistance. Anchored in occupational science, it highlights the roles of Sutra (sustenance), A’wna (solidarity), and Sumud (steadfastness) as practices of resilience against occupational injustices such as land confiscation and movement restrictions. Through interviews and fieldwork in the West Bank, the research reveals how olive growing intertwines personal, cultural, and political dimensions, challenging Western-centric frameworks of occupation. This work broadens occupational science by integrating global South perspectives, emphasizing collective well-being and human-environment relationships.

The study was guided by an ethical framework rooted in decolonial theory and critical ethnography. Simaan took a community-centered approach with an emphasis on collective well-being and resistance efforts. Themes and findings were shared with participants for feedback, promoting collaborative validation.

The project suggests that change happens through collective, everyday acts of resistance grounded in communal values and a deep connection to the land. It highlights how Palestinian olive growers embody resilience through their practices, using Sumud (steadfastness), A’wna (solidarity), and Sutra (sustenance) as frameworks for resisting systemic injustices such as land confiscation, military occupation, and occupational apartheid. Acts like olive planting, harvesting, and rebuilding after destruction symbolize persistence and communal strength.

Interviews, audio-recorded, transcribed and translated
Field notes
Reflective journal

The study adds to the growing body of knowledge advocating for an inclusive, culturally relevant, and justice-oriented approach in occupational therapy and science.

By combining academic publication, community engagement, and alignment with global advocacy networks (such as the Joint Advocacy Initiative), the project ensured its findings reached both academic audiences and the communities it aimed to serve

"Whoever has an olive and a fig is not poor. The olive is the only tree that lives on, and is a symbol for our identity. It protects the land and the soil, and it means the land has owners." (Abu-Nedal)

"The purpose of scholarly work is to seek human freedom, rather than to be a tool for control, as studies in colonial contexts have often been, and this should be the basis of researchers’ ethical and practical considerations." (p. 514)

"The study’s findings challenge and extend occupational justice concepts based on Wilcock’s occupational determinants of health, which have traditionally been grounded in individualistic and Western notions of doing-being-becoming-belonging." (p . 515)

Occupational science
Occupational therapy
Decolonial studies