Nationality and Belonging : A case study of a Palestinian community in Egypt

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with nationality and belonging in the context of a Palestinian community in Egypt. A central concept in the theory is the discourse of “belonging as nationality”. I use this term to describe all the discursive practises that together have the effect of equalling belonging with nationality. Within this discourse belonging is interpreted as nationality and nothing else. In my analysis I argue that the discourse of “belonging as nationality” has a big impact on Palestinians in Egypt, because it has been instrumental in determining the laws and regulations which govern their lives. The Palestinians have been constructed as guests in Egypt, and thus they have not been given Egyptian citizenship and they are treated as foreigners in Egyptian law. Their are constructed as people that belong in Palestine, and giving them right in Egypt is seen as a threat to this construction. I also analyse the ways in which the members of a Palestinian community in Egypt is actively using the discourse of “belonging as nationality” in some situations and discarding it or even resisting it in other situations.