The Emergence of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement

Abstract

Boycott is not a new tactic used in the Palestinian struggle—it was widely used in the uprising against British colonial rule in the 1930s and popularly deployed throughout Palestinian society during the first intifada. However, the emergence of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement in its current form can be found in a range of processes from the year 2000 onward. By using a contentious politics framework, and specifically utilizing analytical concepts of social movement theory, such as political opportunities and constraints, mobilizing dynamics, and collective action frames, this chapter aims to unpack the emergence of the BDS movement from 2000 to 2005.1 During this time boycott developed as a tactical repertoire for organization and a global movement centered on boycott, divestment, and sanctions started to emerge. In this chapter, I argue that a range of factors led to the rise of the BDS movement and thus created a foundation from which the movement could be built.