Homing in on settler colonialism: Federica Stagni, ‘Erasing the Past: Domicide and Settler Colonialism in Susiya and Sheikh Jarrah’, Middle East Critique, 2025 | settler colonial studies blog

Homing in on settler colonialism: Federica Stagni, ‘Erasing the Past: Domicide and Settler Colonialism in Susiya and Sheikh Jarrah’, Middle East Critique, 2025

14Nov25

Abstract: This article explores the intersection of settler colonialism, neoliberalism, and forced displacement through the lens of ‘domicide’ in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). It focuses on two case studies: Susiya, a rural village in the South Hebron Hills; and Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem. The article argues that Israeli eviction and expulsion practices are not only rooted in a legal framework but also in a broader settler-colonial practice that involves both territorial and cultural dispossession/appropriation. These processes manifest in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in home demolitions, village destruction, settlement expansion, and forced evictions. Through fieldwork conducted over five periods from 2016 to 2024, including interviews with residents, activists, and organizations, as well as participant observation at protests and demonstrations, the study examines how these policies are shaped by capitalist interests, such as tourism-driven gentrification in Jerusalem and land commodification in the West Bank. In this way, settler colonialism is intertwined with neoliberal forces that further Palestinian dispossession. The article examines how Israel practices ‘domicide’—destroying both Palestinian homes and the historical memories they contain, which are central to Palestinian identity. The article situates these dynamics within the framework of ‘domicide’, highlighting the destruction not only of homes but also of historical memory linked to houses as an expression of Palestinian identity.

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