Activism in Exile: How Palestinian youth construct and deploy collective action frames in opposition to the Palestinian leadership's politics of temporariness to mobilise for solutions to their marginalised position in Lebanon without compromising the right of return

Abstract

This research aims to explore and understand how Palestinian youth activists in Lebanon mobilise for solutions to their marginalised position in Lebanon, vis-à-vis their own leadership’s politics of temporariness, without compromising the right of return. Through fieldwork conducted in Palestinian communities in Lebanon and using a theoretical framework that combines structuration theory with collective action frames, this thesis examines how politics of temporariness have been kept in place for decades, how new initiatives could arise despite the reinforcing character of the existing structure, how activism is articulated in frames, supported by resources and translated into activities, how the youth have impacted the community and how their activism has been challenged by the leadership and competing youth groups. This thesis concludes that the primary way in which the youth mobilise for solutions to their marginalised position is by arguing that better living conditions are required for instead of detrimental to return. This way of framing the situation leaves much room for action on the side of the Palestinians. Finally, this thesis identifies two risks that could hurt the youth activism: 1) becoming too dependent on political actors and 2) falling into clientelistic relationships.