Boycott Before BDS: Tracing Histories of Resistance in Palestine

Boycotts have a persistent presence in the world of anticolonialism in general, and Palestinian history in particular. Though the boycott is most prominently associated today with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS), this paper shows that boycotts have been consistently utilized in Palestine since 1908, responding to a long continuum of colonization. The paper accounts for the varying origins, instrumental functions, contextual relationships that boycott holds to other tools of struggle. It examines shifts in Palestinian boycott practice and discourse, emphasizing the importance of considering this tactical form not in the abstract terms of social movement theory, but in light of its concrete relationship with broader anticolonial structures and strategies. Drawing on lessons from boycott’s long history in Palestine and other anticolonial contexts, it further reflects on its position in contemporary Palestinian politics. It argues that, in the post-Oslo environment, boycott shifted from a tactic serving a revolutionary strategic vision to a tactical solidarity response addressing the absence of a comprehensive national strategy. Ultimately, this paper argues that while boycott plays a crucial role in the global war of position in which the Palestinian solidarity movement is currently engaged, this does not alter the need for a rejuvenation of representative national structures that are capable of deliberating and implementing broader anticolonial strategies.