Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Abstract

This thesis examines a mural of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the city of Baqa al-Gharbiya as a site of political encounter. Rather than approaching the mural solely as a commemorative image, the study analyzes how it generated a series of interactions through acts of creation, defacement, restoration, performance, and digital circulation. Drawing on scholarship in visual culture, graffiti studies, and political theory, I argue that the mural operates as a gendered space of political encounter through which grief, resistance, and national identity are negotiated in public space. Methodologically, the project combines visual and contextual analysis with rhetorical criticism, using photographs, videos, and social media documentation to trace the mural's evolving life across both physical and digital environments. This approach treats the mural not as a fixed object, but as a dynamic site shaped by the responses it provokes. The analysis shows that the mural became a focal point for conflict and solidarity, revealing tensions surrounding Palestinian political expression within Israel while also enabling forms of collective participation and dissent. Its digital circulation further extended these encounters beyond the wall, allowing new audiences to engage with its political meanings. By focusing on a mural created within a Palestinian community in Israel proper, this thesis addresses a gap in existing scholarship and contributes to broader discussions of graffiti, public grief, and visual politics. It demonstrates how murals can transform ordinary spaces into arenas where memory, presence, and political imagination continue to unfold.

Year of Submission

2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Women's and Gender Studies Program

First Advisor

Catherine Palczewski

Date Original

2026

Object Description

1 PDF file (viii, 78 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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