PRISONERS OF LOVE PRISON acy) With Genet in the Palestinian Field ‘Ted Swodenburglangeon images sce with hi of hr informant, This a coms party ate wen one Canes o consort Palin a, By {ete contagious magic one consented i he“ “ant Semi" repueion “To chowe foes our cach on 4 Patna subject a recent reo in the Chron Hig Euratom Sat not aay awn cater mae” or aspiring academe (Cough sone AS), hope at soeday someone wil Socument how apnng grate aden, fom saosin were warned by aa no fe ‘econ Palen, bow lt yada vith Pesan toro ‘Mered aacenic hiring st prmetion, how the taboo on thir acct, scerely circumscribed teademicdacendon ofthe mes, an wo a. et the incapable wap tn he context of thx dhcason that when a searcher explains hw she laced Fal or nage dieics the aca ‘aye to her Palenian fila be eens ae, s st ‘eon wil hun be defected vay from her flav pee a nay trom the more sero, loug cern ened, in thi regard, we should plese thatthe poll atmosphere in she US acaten regarding Palestine as everett pont pas, Tere ‘ort igs ar es hegemonic and thas become seme tore “re ‘pevae work on the quenion of Puenine May seropolga are Sw dong, andthe tpi appears wo be marktabe—in the ping Sonat ean fh ue remntacotetious the academic enironent ies porous hn ee pt 1 woah Riel Cad enon ged Cosine sk avoid the tes of the erat heron and/or ction ofthe eg: Taper who entre ini huardous terry. even | want to coer the frat acount of another Wescr adenine sil ot wel own in the Ure States that, wie riche wth hat eae, ea (Cenc deve the layers fs eto completing bok bed iy i experience sa he Peet wah sire mira om Back Fancher wid whom he syed in sping 1970. This marvelous qth texto one f the century est wr i Cap ar, {ppear in France aie over a month afer Genes denn 1986. Pa Bonds a malnaceam pula boo ac ays an rt hed Prana vn eg Sn gh tte book Wid not Gnd a US. publer andl tgp. The reasons forthe delay tn US. pllenon ae ‘mew mushy. Grove Pres recent acqured by Hala Card te US pubinher ofall Genet othe wok decid opck up the option {© Pome of lars cating tha the Genet exote dentine nn acca fice Bu aapect she work's ‘contenant nui ako ad ome beating Sn Groves decion. In any cate we ve indeed foraae hat Wee Univeny Pres fed the ican to py the estat Grve/ alma, lecmed exotitan sl ha Pst of Lae as aaa 1am personally dram o dis ext not merely by i Herty meso tng very ferent rom Genes earlier are 1 fly that work Sos equal—but tease i represents 4 kind of ethnogeapy tat ree ‘ates wth ty om experience Pane of Love receipe the time Genet pent, beter 10 and 97s among Plato eda io Jonlan. OF coum, his sojt dd not constitute “proton” ether ‘phy. Genet, ass wel own, tit, homoserine onc {sc and payrigh When he vised the Palestinians he wae oer ind his wing of the a rade or ao had conse primary of the ‘oral ournaie pice and political tement He wan ill eshte Ifsomevhat scandalous poised Higure. But he ms nox an ethnogapis ‘Genet ait for insane, that his knoe of Ara as dertary (how macy profesional flworker could slfrd to ake suc a Ini: he stayed wah the guerillas a the ination ofthe Paeane [iteration Organization (PLO) leadership—har a prescrpon oe Jee” and he makes 0 pretense of witing 4 scholarly Bonk! None {helewr—and perhaps pce fas ofthe aimee of academic coe fraino—the work contains many astute obwerations roaring doing ‘thnograpy i dangerous ld “The fs nue Un Cap amas ates for me concerns the vey deine tion ol leldwork. Genet ends of hin experiences aon hefty ‘en inthe hl fA ado his encounters wth Pantin ead In ‘Amman and Beit maces an acute and sense seawarenes shout ‘he Hie of Kem aubjetpoution. Lil return t thee es bon But, more signigean it bring o mind the time 1 spent in many he sane spots between it and 76. Genet» work ia me t0 wonder meter der na lgimae(d) way for me to dus in a “academe” Context a long pretieldwork experiences inthe Ara soe, the tine | pase, ng. tying. working. paying, and teveling thee e ping Ito this sort of autobiography mete hares exercise? Do oe the fourteen months Tapentin the Occup Tertores a 1984-198 tet ing wo lage to itervew vecerana of the 1990-1390 tet wih Hoe ‘ok and tape recorder fo hand, sanctified by PHD) caniday a 3 Sowa Seenee Resear Cannel (SSRC) gran. qualify an ekdwor at the only database for all my futue academic wing Palestinian be fries and are? Peshapa any edinographer who are amity motated ta work i “weacherons tes fae similar queione Ihave Been forced coin ths ste whenever sympathetic roleaques hve aeked me how Image {o cope with working in and wing abou» geographic /scademic ar‘hat seems so emotionally and pal onercharged ado excenely ‘lent ean only begin to make sete of how nara it fel fo me fnwohe in thi Be by efering to personal hiner, Probably Ihave been there/here emotional at leat ine Tne teh, My Bay fs ited extended pilgrimage tothe "Haly gf whens sl ue y the Hashem ie Kingdom of Jordan. One diya U.S. Chriian tele worker ook 0 “Tani “border village” inthe Hebron det” We male our wy fom Helm (abKhal) by Land Rover orer poory marked and rigged got track Trym’ inhabitants we leaned, had lot thei farmland, located in the nearby plains, wo the Jewish tate when Israel was created in 1998 Since the illager sl retained their dwelling the highland they cn ‘ot be clasied a “refugees” and theefore~althigh they had to meas tt iettood-—dhey were ineligible fr stance from the United Nations Rel and Works Agency (UNRWA). Coming from the Sant Clara Vile. {van astonished and appalled by te stark over. My memory (since re Ineded iy les my father to) xo a en grayish brown atmoaphere, the rocky bill the ground, nd the macandstone houses all hewn fom thesame monotonous color, unrelieved by the greenery of tees or plant "eal burang fle scrawny animal, achine in shabby ds, a sien plumbing sewage, or elec We quik departed Tran wc leamed that the vies, ever the Rompe and fiendy Arab deve thei dessinsion, were rounding up the few wringy chickens we had no eda cng rn the rgd ei wh ty ral tha, ever snc, Ihave waned wo repay thote generous, desperate sigers no the world bad ignored, for ter offer of roused ehichens ‘nd mabe began to comprehend the hazards of spacing with och people (ven before they were known ax “Paleslane me mons bc tack in Caloris, shorty belore my fas 1 mone to Beit My ther had hed off leer wo NBC tevin new acorman Chet Hn Te. takig ue wi hs newsearninformed, ata sha. The rep ‘came in the for of a eur poweard that read “Dear Reverend Swede ‘an: Your st emits showing, Cet Hui” During the tie lived in Beit, teeween 1964 and 197, the signi ‘ance an stakes ofthe Palestine question onl itenaed expecially afer Tat eceupied the West Bank and Gaza in 197 und Palestintane ook wp arms thereby transforming tei global mage fom one of hap chr (goto, depending on your point of view, trots or recom Apher Evens in Palestine and is diaspora mere expecially eral for my Me once enrolled at the American Universi of Beit (AUB) in 9a made frends and allies wih Palestinians who were active in stent polis and In warout fictions ofthe reiaance movement, These reationshipe mide fe scaling olence of the ro7es angle and persona will ever fo fet one Palestina fend, the gentle an unaaiang Nabll Ss Na tes the child of refuges fom te Galilee who, aftr tog, had taken up Tsiace th thie Marine Chin coreligionna 12 Atay (Eat Beit) Although ace in stadt pel, Nail wa Hever purty prominent fire: aller cecehing bis B.A. he began teaching in 3 teal Secondary school. I all 175, etl i the Lebanese ci war igheing ‘Pabage iliiamen Kidnapped Nabi trured him wih Kafe aes aad ‘Slowing eget shot hi through the ea, an dared i body in ‘Ssocant lot The only apparent ote was tat Nabi was a Palestina. [Nas parent fat Arava plundered anid buried ad the Ey ‘rset wit no photograph of Nab excep forthe spl taken tte ‘morgue Till ever forget the hous spent with Nas youger bother trying to lend comfort and 4 convince hn of de fly of asemping revenge coud mention two other Paexinian frends from AUB, who were a resid and torte by lac ntrrogator ater they retired owe 0 fe Occopied Techorin orld til cfariectstician God ws oo Tere similar (perhaps exon more bra) treatment a he Hands of Sra Ioteligence. Bui would be pn and my am neither wo hor nor tort aytapathy. The point simply Ut my Beit ends and ex perience were crucial for my subaequent fieldwork project in the Wes Banbecame they ermured apport networks and this enabled ty demanding of and expacy to manage He wer rainy occupation Many recarchory Taste haven slr complex mix of anachments Inyesment. relations experiences emotions or understanding that co fect them i the tube spo im which they work. Such inks usual ‘annot be define at acute” and we have therefore not been nA ‘ged to speak about them, The ual asumpion i that the “elder peony Sle cate badl niche shengrchieaecoonlt ell ot fbi of it conraa” Bex ethers of may have por contacts th people inthe west where we work, is that ae eal 1 under Standing our motiatons sd eapcises for undertaking "angers Rel tok To speak ach deal not merely sltndulgen covet “The secon segues that Genet ers sha we amt, moreover, tat ‘se might actly be atrcta t such peruse, Tl aso fn a uch Br anything” he informe, “that 4 accepted the lation to spend {ev day eth the Paktinians But was to tay nea two eae Deitherfd nor spied, but and wo be here” (29863; empasaede) ‘Genet returns othe theme of enjonent several rnc Dating shoot ‘between Fedapeen and King Hosein army, he informa, he experienced 2 kindof “iloue delight crouching agaist a wal while bullets sprayed "ea, matching Use happy snes" and ea” on the aes othe Pale tina fighters (i. 53). Genet abo speak of he great pion for the feria: “From late 1970 to ate 1972, more than anything or anyone ‘he towed the fedayeen” (ii, 378) The Palestinian revolt in the hil ‘fA, he declares was apart hat lated ne monte and fe come [ares itt “the freedom that reigned in Parisi May 1908°—encope, he ‘ote, "the etayeen were armed (id, 247). ‘Stange moxations. Wat cou they have to do wh ethnography? I oing etoography ina harrow eld really wpponed te be tution, ‘ffm, or lose Arete appeased to be sere tga tl leer! problems? Ist ft aguaninity that compels to ve sth the swctdhed ofthe eh Yer maybe we adie that stresses ‘ande a party stnonphere an exert agi pal, he here some ‘nes atortated with our dangerou ethnography woud be dnnishe recall my vit o Jordan tm spring 107, paly for he porpone of searching a paper fora wcology coure wit Sait Kila othe tpi, “isthe Palesnian retance 2 force for moderlason?™ I found Aa ‘man'satmosphere. during thow days of Palestinian gobo aed ae [erfocmunce I witemed at Bap refee camp, where young women al len dance the dale and xing atonal songs with transcendent Joy and devertination. And it war dewone ith some ate leaders ‘nd members of the Popular Democratic Front forthe Liberation a Pete that orgaly sparked my interes Marien “The ambience at AUB i the te 190 and ear 70 wan equally ‘etic and frequently scary strikes ocenpatons of baling al demon ‘srations, bloody fights between tal stent groups, ellen pba fguments and Mares study groups, iltaney, fla exesen, work camps fh rlugee camp, and Stas demagogy. Alou Isle spent ear ‘nd hl inte United State during tis period, for me "the es” me Primary a Beirut experience: and armed revolt and ual repremion ‘eve an imegrl par ofthat poll reality. Like Genet, Iwas commore ‘fhe Palen een, enenared by ie charm and dangerous allure So when ting about dangerous ehnography. I usta the appeal the thls ierent in projects for socal change. feel extras Tek to ave ase samen of the oy nection, dea may fe tur Durem’ prase—“ellecieeerveacence of reval But Genet avo canons shat our paricule brand of fun, mh sin ‘ions Haked to our plged vantage point, While he profes love for the fedijeen, Genet acknowledges “how far ay” he wo em he Patni (198090), underscoring that he ws “among Faupri}—aot ith fae” them (bi, 9 198643)+ Aton, oe wih "When T was wr Ing this book” he expo, ‘ot thre aon the fee a aba othe eb nay Tew ast not tenn of Cae pc ue poe team eer sd cone armour belong ee ely ‘ie i hr tn or nce sing ossie! ‘Genet so unt about the unglamorous nature of is tak “Tere vat ‘thing for metodo at took ad ston Noa yery ale occupation” (id 91. Nou, bu nonetheless pret [1] looked a the Palestinians revo” Genet san" if from a window or box in a the anre and asi hroogh pearthundled opera gases" (ibid, go walaton odie)? ‘Under such conditions partpent oberon impose, And How sod this parndowsal ndhropological concelt sent when 04 Ae ‘anon men shulderng Kalen no are ate for death, pr ture (id, 7). Genet maybe lla Toe, chaste dere and identifica: ‘on buts Re i slmply an outside observer He even has doubts bt what the fedaeen aly fet about hi, what they ry hough hie ‘ole eas (bi gon). Thin no able of ethnographic “appar” Gene ‘ray recognizes the elference, the gap separating hia rom the fiers (Wd. $4). Aad he ately shuns the oon of any Hero pat “My whole life” he avers was made wp of unpre wiles very ‘ow up ino aes of daring” (id 148) A rather remarkable watement sven the legendary outer satus ofthe man who swerted tur. Te ‘as complete natal for me w be attaced «the people who ae 90 ‘ny he mon unfortunate but ao crystallize othe Hghex degree de be ‘wed ofthe West” ‘Genet amis of cher complications in his rltionihip to the Paes: ‘inns After the 1978 war, hi “pasonate love” faded and “the eps lover's werinca stn "To sit hited” he wre, tI wea’ co ‘inced I wae atraced but not Mined. I behaed ike a prisoner ene™ (id, 188). prsoner af love wo continues to excrie great eae and ‘ton in dieting the Palestinians Deca hes well aware of the West's Supa He consmatly underscores the fedayee’s brine the may‘oF their cause of beraton. tthe same time, he apologies or is an ‘snge “ln oter day” he firms ie fede so winery mained, tat Gene ec ponte to employ coupe sctblay and eres ‘compte t deer these (17) To bare ck cough fs sur emma tere dager of ding cthoography hands aed hy plied el My lore it Fale ing 19h concemed how elcey Paton ages ford he gs I pray mes ae ‘iu hiscrt But nea spl consol fog bance betwee 7 inne in ah sbalcr versont ofthe tle the one band, ad, 08 the uber hee necenty fo rope and somtimes ren dled the Sours 98 pte pan, ‘cu unarshed ty itera cn When I write I make «comment fet to nan myc i expo the eo ed rcs tani Natur i he need vo sega the moni sty tom wiaton ty Yow opponens Cet ecmle magmas etch ees eedenay he thy tne ce sda ey mt be era Tut be doe not advocate ceeding Hi dephins ofthe FLO et eno aac ae scathing“ fa the sana faa ale Intern teet pinot nok” (ds gah mang wee gully ora tone Ti leped the peril chiets“fca we be snr at he sige Shape dor Roun of ory tke” (Unt 69; Hs Sot Ae ti Flan treed the “esting Pete we opal ‘ric Nor des Genet y may fon ing tne PLO oy ais Seng. He Intel ihe poy defend feanesn por nse il at en wre he aye ns, -Poemhi® bes 5) The Und Ses eel rel “wren Gace’ he meso ach PLO “ons” thon “Acme proced mnie, deme w ntoncne— ore froma iting arcam fontg ove he Ab wor pub ony of ach talc arts lg a planed ot pene ies 4p: edaers Geet ma wet een sem of npr otha ay Hae fag rom sar wo finish what their objective was” (hi, 289) sen hi be a fighters were ot ail inocents Fateh, the organization that we {ened him nto its eamps seemed w aac youths “who delighted scraping and looting anal une more booigans than heroes" (ibid Son Genet witneses faye lording over Jordanian peasants (id fo) and other ners wo were "ad to beable oplfer ea eamers, tind trousers mah mpi” and mbo excel heaton 5 ry (ibid 27), Sch ating erties ae unuoal fr a para LEAPPROGGING OVER CORPSES ‘ox wt you might mow objet about the wa es? What ial shia, ‘lione and plays What abn the horror an eto, what about ll hoe richie, ound, torre? Genet does Sai with dent and Trig somchow managing to sain id of kxpaoned colnew of tone tn parc be dacs theca at he Bert rege camp of Sa which he wandered tough in September toe short fe he Patangdnied mmsacts here and at Sabra cp. ve gone dow {he stet in Chats having amon lespttog ener he cores ok ig the avec he tlle un “The numberof tml Te hao jmp een my We. The smell ef dcempoation war so tong was alias ihe and osuemouneable a ampan (id, sg). Osher ree ages en Shai re inernpesed eughow: Ade ls "when {ear the word Paesunian,Tserud hne trea the nage of re ‘ng ie nsdn at th fe oer hte” Gl, 30) ‘Stengel he doce nor de on the Boda at Sabra Shas, a hough tn expercnce made a deep iyprenion. His chiet means of dea logit Bndshed and oppresion i toogh peroaliaion The mont itponan and eervem heap one f Lave of he ie Haren st ns mates, wu uke tof Genet raf hours the midst of ite awd a tap When Genet ner hears hat Hana ws exper Set orueed by dn ordain army be amr My hated for (Rig) ituucin a hs Beda Crean fried ls ade set ucactng othe Pssins and the fedayeen ip 1970 and 1078) Hhomm'storurebhickened lp, noting ut two tage wounds ee hough for me. though T@ meer sen them and knew the belonged fuovet te Pakeinian people han wo me” 4), ewig tis and oir sar pares, to wat Wo personae the silence and oppreion, Ln ot Abd Kise, amaninated by sel’ poco fres? during the fn year of the ind. think of my rend Shevan Kun who spent te tnd nal year al daring the it {la Aulouge have never wanesed arg tke Sua and Shas,sai Ld tare uc eas oer a ae ee Se Seayanensnigessoaccrate oe Roper peter syeng me mie hacieatnae acu aen menses Scere eecenineae eis eee ee ena eee oe nine ete See ovine scene Pe eas ene Se baeesermep hear arenes ate Seopee teen tentapesiemmmmriarteal alert nlaetremerige ie mibs areca ee onary iiona te ecetmane secrete facinahiebestemre retmperstorenreptarrred Rosacrepmsenicer site stor neamerene mice oracen ves hevscaia Fionn Sgueee seorees Sec nelener ce wasnt coca nen Toaeteunece con semen ee Seduce keteslip ieee lapel ei Resiertomaneetirdi rier omic ame artevenoreel asiagemerrmcmcn mares Roctbenney Sitcgeed usa coeet canto aicttan Serna ean Craomell net orrconstan iene rarer Seer renescisunt eset econ yore ae Ssvacr estonia ticama cacuretinnae Semen eae ein tauee ee Seca toast const tents api wears soaeg ae daepeen tatu sater aap reaps oer eee Soest eceanocmenyeeonraroas eat Ripireron catia Us ate yeeros eee fresh melons per eee eappaer ee lee eee pesos Seinen salautee tact Sicrreman meat crcumienie sonere See tesa eemate ess this wy even though images ike corps, severed dig, an rntate bois are seated throughout the pages of Un Capt ame ‘nu, dhey are nol Gene’ principal can His chief concer ito cape {he eth hamoe ami the bod and eller. He reogaies, fesse, how tek his ak “To dep the Palestinian resistance asa game or par" Genct maoraing, “doen ean one ang ghey The Pes Undone have boen denied howe, lad 1 coun. mation ‘everyting! Bat who can deny ugh and light inthe eye" (ibid, soa snot aay regarded a “idle occupsion” to come the eit that ia deat pat of insurrections tn suminer oe ogee ‘wih the flmaker Jou Mandell" began werk on vdeo about the Pafvalen se of ve Palestina hui, de Palestinian sear Our ai wis to produce a video tat blends ols and culture memory, histor. and Fanta: strate ad humor We tached the haa quintessential ign fer of Palenian went and srgle—ehrowgh apace and tne and ‘arom national gender and elas borders, We investigated the hoi bby pemant rebels in the rgg-19s9 reo hv aoption by Irae soldiers in the sos a8 sgh of baad ts embrace by the armed fedayeen i the tyber appearance in the Unite Sees among Palestine sli froup inthe igo and aan acewory of wish obo out in he eas {oll how Palenians an wll at foreigner ving in the Wost Bank [est ison ther car chard to, Beep Born got boned by youl Ee crnplpnent bythe masied nen of the Inna an ta appropeadion ‘yPaleninian women acts: how lal undercover agent done ‘tap ina mints and were xresimes st by wler who mito ‘hem for Palin = Be rae erie pec Seen tenia mee Sees Sound the opie ight an nig, an easion of Ue al pressing sues: Why not ake ait about deat sq or torture? Or the cashing faration tha i casing 4 sk hemorthage ofthe Palextinian ecomomy? ‘We met similar responses fo fing vurces ine Ute Sates, Fou avons that noeraly sport ns with “cult” orientation Find a Palestinian aabject to dangerous or controversial, wile tone that back “progres” fms regard our approach as frivolous, The Pl Rabson Flin for independent Meda, fo stance, rejected Jon's grant apes ton because a ighieared ad eutural ok at he Palen se was fot funding pron “1 gues Ison have called thew handed ‘She remarked after receiving the rejection ener 1 do not know if Genet wonld ge on, given that he Jef 0 many projects uncompleted But witnening the holocaust at Sha a Septem ber 18 was what Set into weg Ue Capt emers, which was com pleted twentive years aller the publication of his last play The Sons {a Porment) (ce tes Genet 1991 40). He fet compelled to write in pts thatthe revolt he td waned might eave ht mark, For the Fedayeen, he ser, Knew that “ibcr persons and their Klas [woud]cor At 0B "The Palen of Jordans Boren” I St nh Lr ad ‘Stl Haar of Pn ee Nah ad Tei ots ger Owen 497241. Cane aod Ewa Seer He sno Unter Pr Pete. file Vo Gad Ce Nour od tr Palatine Ratner Mn, New Yok Genta Usboriy re ‘id Tint Seeing Dou: aleinian American Hotes othe Kf’ Me pe eed mete a soray