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First 'Intergalactic' Resistance Studies Conference

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
June 18-21, 2026 

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Reexamining Power and Resistance: Critical Theory and the ‘Not in Our Name’ Movement Amid the Israeli War on Gaza

Wahiba Abu-Ras
Sultan Barakat
Eliza Decker
Year of publication: 2025
DOI: 10.63961/2025.202

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Abstract

This article examines the Not in Our Name (NION) movement through the integrated lenses of Critical Theory and Resistance Studies, focusing on how Jewish activists in the United States challenge dominant Zionist narratives and reframe Jewish identity through ethical dissent, historical trauma, and nonviolent resistance. Drawing on public discourse, protest materials, and digital media, the study examines how NION utilizes trauma-informed and relational activism to craft counter-hegemonic narratives that challenge the dominant ideological narratives of structural violence promoted by pro-Israel Zionist voices. Positioned within the context of the latest Israeli war on Gaza, the NION movement interrogates prevailing assumptions that conflate Jewish identity with unconditional support for Israeli state policies. By invoking Holocaust memory, NION critiques state violence and advocates for a justice-oriented Jewish identity rooted in universal human rights. This article demonstrates how collective trauma becomes a catalyst for cultural and political identity reconstruction, enabling marginalized voices within the Jewish community to contest dominant power structures. Ultimately, this article contributes to scholarship on resistance by illustrating how memory, identity, and activism intersect to foster long-term emancipatory change.

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Thanks for considering a submission to the 'Intergalactic' Conference on Resistance Studies! Before we get started, we just want to make sure that everything is ready.

The Call for Papers for the Conference is open to both academics and other people who implement resistance through activism, art, community, everyday efforts, and much more. All submissions, not matter your background, should:

  • Have a clear focus on 'resistance' and how resistance influences power relations
  • Contribute to our theoretical understanding of resistance; if you are not from an academic background, we still expect you to articulate coherently how your presentation or proposal contributes to our understanding and practice of resistance, for example, how you sharing your knowledge could help or enrich other activists or researchers

We are open to a wide diversity of worldviews and creative ways of presenting and engaging with resistance, whether drawing from literature, personal experience, cultural understandings or more.

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