Normalcy and violence: the yearning for the ordinary in discourse of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Abstract

This essay explores the evolving usage and meanings of normalcy (the routinization of daily life)—as opposed to normalization— during various phases of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with particular emphasis on the post-1967 period. It does so by highlighting how Palestinians and Israelis have understood and continue to perceive normalization both at the high politics level, as well as in their daily lives. In particular, it focuses on how conditions of perceived normalcy for Israelis have created conditions of instability for Palestinians.