Conflicted Commitments: Race, Privilege, and Power in Solidarity Activism

by Gada Mahrouse

Conflicted Commitments analyzes a form of non-violent, direct transnational solidarity in which activists from the global North travel to support and protect people in the global South. Gada Mahrouse contends that this brand of activism is a compelling site of racialized power relations and is highly instructive for a nuanced understanding of systems of race. Mahrouse argues that the individuals who partake in this form of activism consciously deploy their white, western privilege to offer support and protection to those facing threats of violence. Moreover, given that this type of activism asserts itself as an exemplary form of anti-racist commitment, it illustrates that well-meaning practices can inadvertently reproduce racialized power structures that are embedded in imperial and colonial legacies. Mahrouse focuses on Palestine and Iraq in the post-9/11 era to contemplate the contemporary challenges that these regions pose for solidarity activism. By exploring how individual activists manage and negotiate their dominant positioning in these encounters, Mahrouse reflects more broadly on the ethics of social justice strategies in an increasingly transnational world. A detailed study of the racialized complexities and contradictions inherent in transnational solidarity activism, Conflicted Commitments makes a significant contribution to critical race and feminist studies.

248 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ayanna Dozier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who wants to consider themselves an ally in any solidarity movement. Mahrouse rightly asserts that privilege must be recognized before solidarity can even begin, not only that, but that in order to stand with someone in solidarity you have to be anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic---no exceptions. Mahrouse goes through the rhetoric of decolonialism to illustrate just how toxic the structures of white supremacy are that produce “white” allies who play into the structures of white supremacy under the illusion of solidarity. This is due to their failure to recognize their privilege and explicitly take up an anti-racist/sexist/homophobic agenda and rhetoric at all times. Mahrouse conducted interviews with "on the ground" activists to understand their perspectives and motivations for solidarity practices (mainly with the ISM) as many of them have the intentionality of progressive activism but are unaware of the potential harm their actions might due under the banner of “good.” Mahrouse ends on an interesting note, she speaks to the on the ground resisters (mainly within Palestine) who, at times, consider these large groups of solidarity supporters who travel and occupy their towns to be doing no more “good” than a tourist; an enlightening perspective indeed.