ABSTRACT
In an ideal world, that economy would offer the protection necessary to overcome hurdles to censorship, but in reality it too often dictates the direction of the art being produced and threatens to censor important works. For Palestinian artists and institutions, confronting censorship is not only a matter of navigating the dictates of art world or protecting freedom of expression but a way to struggle against the ongoing “culturcide” being waged on the Palestinian people. For generations, Palestinian artists and arts institutions have had to navigate multiple layers of explicit and implicit censorship (exercised by the organizations’ internal authority structures and by self-censorship), as their work is highly vulnerable to military, economic and political pressures. Today the messages of artists travel more easily through digital space, increasing opportunities for exposure and censorship. Even when Palestinian artists and cultural institutions refuse to yield to the pressures of censorship and self-censorship, there are many factors that affect their ability to reach audiences.
