Book 2

Birthing the Nation

by Rhoda Ann Kanaaneh

Published 29 May 2002
In this study, Rhoda Ann Kanaaneh examines the changing notions of sexuality, family and reproduction among Palestinians living in Israel. Distinguishing itself amid the media maelstrom that has homogenized Palestinians as "terrorists", this work offers a complex, nuanced and humanized depiction of a group rendered invisible despite its substantial size, now accounting for nearly 20 percent of Israel's population. "Birthing the Nation" contextualizes the politics of reproduction within contemporary issues affecting Palestinians, and places these issues against the backdrop of a dominant Israeli society.