On Reproductive Genocide in Gaza
On 2 September 2024, as part of the Reproductive Violence Conference at the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sarah Ihmoud delivered a keynote centered on reproductive genocide, drawing from the testimonies of Palestinian women in Gaza.
The Reproductive Violence Conference, organised by Dr Tatiana Sánchez Parra and Dr Lucy Lowe, was held on 2-3 September 2024 at the University of Edinburgh. Highlighting transnational feminist efforts, the conference focused on reproductive violence and reproductive justice in relation to topics such as migration, disability justice, conflict, and colonialism.
The conference took place in the midst of an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, in which the Israeli Occupation Forces have killed over 25,000 Palestinians and where 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced (The Palestinian Feminist Collective, 2024), enduring extremely severe shortages of water, food, electricity, and medical care. The keynote address at the Reproductive Violence Conference, presented by Professor Sarah Ihmoud, explored reproductive genocide and the gendered dimensions of settler colonial violence.
Ihmoud explains that genocide not only destroys Palestinian life through mass murder, displacement and forced starvation, but also, crucially, prevents the reproduction of the Palestinian people. This, she argues, constitute reproductive genocide. Ihmoud’s research on reproductive genocide draws on the accounts of Palestinian women in Gaza, shedding light on the deliberate strategies hindering Palestinian reproduction: starvation of pregnant women, destruction of hospitals, lack of medical care, exposure to toxic waste, lack of tools and supplies for childbirth or prenatal and postnatal care, along with complications of pregnancy and childbirth, which have resulted in a rise in stillbirths. Palestinian women are not only denied the ability to safely give birth and care for their children, but also have to take on increased responsibilities as caregivers of orphaned children and face dangerous and often violent journeys of displacement. For Ihmoud, this is an intergenerational assault on Palestinian life, where violence leaves lasting after-effects that reverberate through the generations and progressively dismembers the Palestinian social body.
Ihmoud explains that Palestinian women's testimonies have been key to understanding the lived and embodied experience of genocide. Historically, Palestinian women have not been considered reliable narrators and their voices have been marginalised, dismissed or rendered invisible in dominant global discourses, with the complicity of Western feminism. But, as Ihmoud highlights, the ways in which Palestinian women choose to narrate their experiences of violence (whether through oral accounts, poetry, or social media posts) are important and telling women's stories can deepen understanding of socio-political dynamics and challenge dominant narratives.
A central question that emerged from the keynote was, “How do life-sustaining practices of care manifest themselves in the midst of loss and grief?” The testimonies of Palestinian women in Gaza highlight the profound physical and psychological cost of pain, suffering, loss and mourning, while also capturing a collective narrative of resilience and survival. Telling their stories is, according to Ihmoud, a method of intergenerational survival; Palestinian memory is preserved through representation, defying silencing and annihilation. But while it is important to bear witness to the genocide and the experiences of Palestinian women, it is crucial to take action.
This raises another key question of the keynote: “What is the responsibility of feminists and academics bearing witness to genocide and reproductive violence?” Ihmoud emphasises the importance of leveraging our skills, networks, and influence as scholars to effect change in our communities, whether through research, writing, activism, or integrating Palestinian scholarship into our teaching and holding our institutions accountable. She also stresses the need to make connections and collaborate with colleagues in Gaza, recognising that their priorities and responsibilities may differ, and that is why collective efforts are needed to address various aspects of the struggle. Ultimately, Professor Ihmoud advocates the need for reproductive justice and anti-Zionist, anti-imperialist and abolitionist politics, led by Indigenous people and people of color.
Professor Sarah Ihmoud is a sociocultural anthropologist whose research interests lie at the intersections of transnational feminisms; women of color theory; Indigenous and decolonial feminisms; critical race studies; carcerality; and Middle East and Arab American Studies. Drawing upon these fields, her research theorizes the racialization of Palestinian women in Palestine and the diaspora, transnational Palestinian feminism and Palestinian feminist epistemologies.
References:
The Palestinian Feminist Collective Condemns Reproductive Genocide in Gaza. (2024, September 10). Palestinian Feminist Collective. https://palestinianfeministcollective.org/the-pfc-condemns-reproductive-genocide-in-gaza/
About the Author
Maéva Thibeault is a PhD student whose research explores transformative justice as a community-based and survivor-centered approach to sexual violence in the Spanish context. Her research lies at the intersection of criminology, sociology, and gender studies. She is also a Research and Communications Assistant at GENDER.ED.
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