“Capitalism […] leads to peace”, Gartzke (2007, p.178) concludes in his analysis of dyadic violent conflicts around the world between 1950 and 1992. The quote reflects a dominant view that a liberal peace – a mechanism of resolving violent conflicts by establishing democratic processes and market liberalisation – will lead to more peaceful relations between countries. This same logic was applied in the political process that resulted in the Oslo Accords – the peace agreement of 1994 signed between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. According to journalists being briefed off-record by Shimon Peres, the purpose was to establish a ‘peace of markets’, rather than seek a ‘peace of flags’ (Davidi 2000).

Market liberalisation can bring benefits to societies who experience it. Research in emerging economies highlights more immediate positive effects for consumers, such as new cuisines and products entering the market, more lifestyle options in forms of new cafes, entertainment centres, shops and malls, or the availability of a wider product range at more competitive prices (Eckhardt and Mahi 2004, Sandikci and Ger 2002, Üstüner and Holt 2007). These can be seen in the major cities in the West Bank, where restaurants, cafes and entertainment centres, alongside shopping malls and upscale supermarkets have mushroomed (Samara 2000, Shikaki and Springer 2015).

However, these immediate benefits are often seen to bear medium- and long-term costs for societies. This happens through increasing social inequality, social stratification, individual stress and frustration, as well as adverse effects on health and environment (Ger and Belk 1996). Similarly, 20 years after the Oslo Accords, economic life for many Palestinians has not resulted in the economic (and wider) freedoms promised, but rather led to “disappearing markets, less work, less freedom” for the majority (Klein 2007:433). In 2010, one quarter of Palestinians were living below the poverty line and about the same number of people were unemployed (Palestinian Bureau of National Statistics 2010).

Capitalist peace in the occupied territories has brought with it the rise of consumer culture previously unknown to many Palestinians. “Shopping at ‘Capitalist Peace’” is an art piece that reflects on the different experiences of ordinary Palestinians living in the West Bank, 20 years on. It emerges from a 6-week field study conducted in the West Bank in May/June 2015, which explored how market liberalisation has affected participation in consumer boycott, particularly in light of the birth of the ‘Palestinian consumer’. This research responds to the call to further enhance our understanding of political activism in the marketplace by studying the lived experience of consumer culture (and boycott) under occupation, as well as relating it to questions of international peacebuilding, development and globalisation (Izberk-Bilgin 2010).

The purpose of our proposed artwork is to make more visible concepts and phenomena such as ‘(capitalist) peace’, the ‘market’ and ‘freedom’ and thus open them to discussion within the CCT community. As such, this piece offers different lenses onto these issues through the eyes of the Palestinians that were interviewed as part of the research project.

The artwork will take form as a realistic, real-size representation of common supermarket/shop shelves (dimensions, approx. h: 90cms x w: 60cms x d: 20cms). The display will be created using mixed media, such as cardboard, paper, paint, charcoal, and digital art prints. See Picture 1 for a sketch of the display. As the piece will be made of light materials, it can be easily mounted on a wall.

Gartzke, E (2007) “The Capitalist Peace” American Journal of Political Science 51(1), 166- 191

Davidi, E (2000) “Globalisation and Economy in the Middle East” The Israeli-Palestine Journal 7(1&2)

http://www.pij.org/details.php?id=278 (accessed 7 September 2015)

Klein, N (2007) The Shock Doctrine London: Penguin, p.433

Izberk-Bilgin, E (2010) “An interdisciplinary review of resistance to consumption, some marketing interpretations, and future research suggestions” Consumption Markets & Culture 13(3), 299- 323

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/24966