"Jumping the Wall": Negotiated Resistance of Bodies and Borders by Queer Palestinians between the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel

Grounded in postcolonial queer and feminist epistemologies, this project is guided by an intersectional approach that emphasises multi-method qualitative data collection. Engaging queer as a methodology and analytical framework deepens our understanding of both settler colonial violence and decolonial politics in Palestine. In queer(y)ing the research, sexuality can be understood through a 'politics of difference', recognising the spectrum of queer experience and identification.

Queer methodology can be a 'scavenger methodology' utilising diverse methods, in this case, pairing interviews with walking ethnography, to reach those often excluded from academic research. This research centres on a bottom-up analysis, understanding intimacy, identity and space as subjectively and structurally constructed. This wide range of interviewing can be seen as 'queering the field'. Queer positionality is about future imaginings and a critical space to explore the negotiated resistance of queer Palestinians within a settler-colonial context.

The fieldwork will be conducted over two 3-month periods to accommodate visa restrictions with 4 research sites (East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron and Ramallah) chosen for their proximity to the Separation Barrier or to major Israeli checkpoints. Phenomenological data collection will involve semi-structured qualitative interviews alongside walking ethnographies with queer participants across a spectrum of gender identities that will emerge through the research. By walking through spaces with your participant making observations and note-taking, a walking ethnography allows for the researcher to be attentive to the situatedness of everyday life and recognise that narratives and identities are lived
within a local space and its history.

In selecting participants, I will utilise proximity-based social networking apps (Grindr/Atraf) with profiles in English/Arabic stating their purpose and identifying myself as researcher. Apps are a novel yet effective sampling technique in reaching those that may not be "out". Using apps will allow me to explore the role technology plays in shaping identities and intimacies and to what extent physical borders are reproduced virtually, to assess how they reconfigure 'space and spatial practices'.

I identify as queer non-binary and have lived/worked in the WB, but being white British may influence dynamics between researcher/participant, thus during fieldwork and analysis, I will practice 'reflexive positionality' to acknowledge and reflect on my bias, emotions and the power relations at the core of the research process. I will improve my basic Arabic through classes to build rapport and engage with my participants through sensitivity, solidarity and a sense of community. Ensuring the wellbeing of my participants and my own safety, interviews will be conducted in public locations where discussions remain private, chosen by participants to encourage 'deep disclosure'. I will obtain written/verbal
consent in Arabic/English and, maintaining confidentiality, will ensure any identifying details are anonymised (using pseudonyms), with data encrypted and held securely on university servers.

This interdisciplinary research draws upon a variety of fields including Gender Studies, Human Geography, Ethno-Political and Decolonial Studies to advance decolonial queer modes of knowledge production and enrich our perspective of Palestine/Israel. My project employs a novel sampling technique (via virtual networking apps) and methodology (walking ethnography) in the Palestinian context, which will enable unique insights and analyses. This research complements the work of the Centre for Palestine Studies, producing new knowledge and fostering connections with collectives at Bristol and Exeter. Most importantly, it is intended to be useful to queer Palestinian NGOs by highlighting how spatialised inequalities are produced, experienced and resisted.