Book launch – Erella Grassiani: Soldiering under occupation
7 November 2013, ABC Treehouse Amsterdam. 8 November 2013, Treehut The Hague
Soldiering under Occupation: Processes of Numbing among Israeli soldiers in the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Berghahn Books.
Often, violent behavior or harassment from a soldier is dismissed by the military as unacceptable acts by individuals termed, “rotten apples.” In this study, the author argues that this dismissal is unsatisfactory and that there is an urgent need to look at the (mis)behavior of soldiers from a structural point of view. When soldiers serve as an occupational force, they find themselves in a particular situation influenced by structural circumstances that heavily influence their behavior and moral decision-making. This study focuses on young Israeli men and their experiences as combat soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), particularly those who served in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” (OPT) during the Al Aqsa Intifada, which broke out in 2000. In describing the soldiers’ circumstances, especially focusing on space, the study shows how processes of numbing on different levels influence the (moral) behavior of these soldiers.
Erella Grassiani is an anthropologist, working at the University of Amsterdam. Her academic work focuses on military and (private) security issues in Israel. She is also the co-founder of gate48, a platform for critical Israeli’s in the Netherlands.
The ABC Treehouse, Voetboogstraat 11, Amsterdam.
The ABC Treehut, Lange Poten 23, The Hague.