Work of Sociology Department Visiting Researcher Dr. Dalal Bajes Published in the Journal of Ortadoğu Etütleri

The article titled “From Presence to Power: Female Agency in the Palestinian Student Movement,” authored by Dr. Dalal Bajes, a visiting researcher in the Department of Sociology, has been published in the Journal of Ortadoğu Etütleri.

In this article, Bajes focuses on the persistent exclusion of female students in the Palestinian student movement despite their numerical majority. The study investigates and analyzes the structural, ideological, and historical factors that shape women's political participation. To conduct this research, Dr. Dalal Bajes utilizes mixed methods that combine archival analysis, unstructured interviews with current and former activists, and a critical approach to existing academic literature.

The article first introduces the concept of “progressive deprivation” adapted from Ted Robert Gurr’s theory of relative deprivation. It argues that female students experience a growing gap between their increasing educational and political capacities and the limited opportunities for institutional leadership. Using the Islamic Bloc as a case study, the research tracks the evolution of women's sectors, internal organizational practices, and fractional dynamics affecting women's participation in student councils. According to the findings, while there is an increase in activism through conferences, committee work, and grassroots mobilization, such activism remains disorganized. In her work, Bajes demonstrates how female students negotiate, challenge, and aim to transform gendered boundaries within the Palestinian Student Movement.

This significant study will contribute to a better understanding of the political agency of Palestinian female students and the obstacles they encounter.