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In\u202fQueer Palestine and the Empire of Critique\xa0(Stanford University Press, 2020) anthropologist and activist\u202fSa\u2019ed Atshan\u202fexplores the Palestinian LGBTQ movement and offers a window into the diverse community living both in historic Palestine and in diaspora.\nHis timely and urgent account contends that the movement has been subjected to an \u201cempire of critique,\u201d which has inhibited its growth and undermines the fight against homophobia in the region and beyond. On the one hand, explains Atshan, queer Palestinians must contend with the harsh realities of patriarchal nationalism, homophobia and heteronormativity, Israeli occupation, dehumanizing discourses such as \u2018pinkwashing,\u2019 and the legacies of western imperialism.\nAt the same time, Atshan argues that critiques against such issues \u2013 leveled by academics, journalists, and even queer activists \u2013 have contributed to a stifling ideological purism that has put activists on the defensive and alienates some queer Palestinians.\nAlong with a succinct presentation of the immense challenges faced by the LGBTQ-identifying Palestinians, Atshan highlights Palestinian agency, ingenuity, and resilience. He considers how progressive social movements around the world can navigate the often fraught and complex dynamics of intersectional activism, and leaves his readers with a vision of a diverse queer Palestinian movement capable of \u201cradically reimagining possible futures.\u201d\nSa\u2019ed Atshan\u202fis an assistant professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore College.\nJoshua Donovan is a History PhD candidate and Core Preceptor at Columbia University. His dissertation examines competing conceptions of identity and subjectivity within the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Christian community in Syria, Lebanon, and the diaspora.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies