Resisting under Occupation. A Palestinian – Uyghur Comparison

This comparative study of the resistance behavior between the Palestinians and Chinese Uyghurs delineates the commonalities of the two case studies in terms of circumstances and resistance behavior, while creating its research puzzle from their differences of the latter. The research question asks what explains the variation in resistance behavior between the two groups given their similarities.

The study analyses the commonalities and differences of resistance behavior with regards to a „resistance spectrum”, starting with ‘frames’ („How is the conflict framed?”), continuing with an investigation of the non-violent forms of action-based resistance (poetry, songs, protests, etc.), concluding with an analysis of the violent forms of resistance. The study relies upon four different theories in its hypotheses’ development in order to test different variables for explaining the research puzzle.