Abstract:
In the aftermath of the Oslo Accords, Palestinian civil society underwent a profound transformation marked by the rise of international donor-driven NGOs, a process commonly referred to as the “NGOization” of resistance and community organizing. This event critically examines the socio-political consequences of NGOization, including the depoliticization of grassroots activism, the fragmentation of collective struggle, and the institutional dependency on external funding. Drawing on lived experiences, scholarly critiques, and community narratives, this event explores community-based alternatives that center self-determination, mutual aid, and indigenous knowledge. Participants will engage in dialogue around reclaiming autonomous spaces for organizing that resist co-optation and foster genuine liberation. By weaving together praxis and theory, the event aims to chart actionable pathways out of NGO-centric models toward more sustainable, rooted, and emancipatory civil society structures in Palestine.
Speakers:
Dr Amal Nazzal is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Business and Economics at Birzeit University and currently a George Antonius Birzeit Visiting Fellow at St. Antony’s at Oxford University. She holds a Ph.D. in organizational studies where she was awarded the PhD Studentship in Organizational Studies to complete her PhD at the University of Exeter in 2013. Her research interests include decolonized organizational mechanisms and dynamics in organizations, indigenous theory in OS, indigenous organizing (Sumud), intersectionality, feminist organizing, social capital, social networking theory and new social media in organizations. She is also interested in new research methods such as digital ethnography and social media content analysis. In 2024, Dr Amal was awarded the George Antonius Fellowship at St. Antony’s College at University of Oxford for her research about the structural and organizational transformations of the Palestinian organizational modes and modalities through the “NGOization” processes in the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Palestine.
She is an advisory board member at the Institute of Women Studies (IWS), BDS movement, and Right to Education campaign at Birzeit University. Her research has been published in journals such as Journal of Business Research and Human Relations, International Journal of Communication, and has written opinion pieces in different outlets.
Soheir Asaad is a Palestinian political and feminist organizer and a movement advocate. She leads international advocacy at Rawa, an initiative/ community participatory fund that works within progressive philanthropy and cross-movement spaces to address harm caused by funding, promote accountability, and advance trust- and solidarity-based approaches that return power to communities and support infrastructure for independence in Palestinian community work.
Soheir is also the co-director of the “Funding Freedom” project and serves as an advisory board member of the Adalah Justice Project. She earned a Master’s degree in international human rights law from the University of Notre Dame (US). She is a human rights lawyer who has previously worked extensively in legal research, international human rights advocacy for Palestinian rights, and legal defense against political arrests. Throughout her years of organizing, she has co-founded several feminist and political movements and initiatives in Palestine.
