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Abstract

This study derives its force from experiences of Palestinian women, occupation and loss project that aims at describing and understanding the role of holistic intervention based on the mutual support approach “from a bereaved woman to another.” The qualitative method has been utilized, with a view to reaching an integrated description, analysis and explanation of the experience that has been documented in details, through using special documentation forms. The results reveal that changes have taken place to bereaved women and supportive bereaved ones, as a result of participation in support and through training meetings. The findings demonstrate that women have succeeded in expressing the memory and identity of loss and in being conscious of the Palestinian components. The experience of bereaved woman-to-bereaved woman, has proved effective and promising in the alleviation of the intensity of direct bereaved disorders. The study concludes that there is a dire need to develop this experience and provide it with societal and political legitimacy. It is expected that gender roles will be integrated and taken into account in describing, analyzing, explaining and evaluating issues of women and collective loss.

Author Biography

Sohail Hassanein is an associate professor in social work and criminology at Al-Quds University, East Jerusalem. Together with the Women’s Studies Center in Jerusalem and the Swedish association, Kvinna til Kvinna, he has been working with the “occupation, women and loss” project since 2008.

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