Over the years, the Second Intifada has been consigned to paragraphs within history books and the significance has been forgotten by many. While this may be due to the scarcity of sources that are out there, the history of the Second Intifada cannot be ignored. Like previous conflicts in the past between Palestinians and Israelis, the Second Intifada had a monstrous toll on the way of life for both Palestinians and Israelis. The following thesis will examine the Second Intifada and how it affected the economy, the politics, and the social life of Palestinians living in Ramallah, the de facto capital for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank.

This study contributes to the specific segment of the research field of peace and conflict studies (PACS) pertaining to the use of art as a tool for conflict transformation towards a positive peace. It is original for its choice of subject - live action role play (larp) as a potential tool for conflict transformation. The purpose of the study is to explore, describe and interpret the conditions for, and the content of, larp in present-day Palestine in order to construct a normative framework for how larp could be used as a tool for conflict transformation. In order to answer the question on the uses of this art form in Palestine, and the effects it has on the participants, their immediate surroundings, and the larger society around them, original empirical material was produced during a two-month long minor field study in Ramallah. It consists of ethnographic observations and ethnographic field interviews, as well as ten in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted between 14th of February and the 12th of April 2014. The material was analyzed with regard to Galtung’s theory of positive peace and Lederach’s theory of conflict transformation as well as to other selected theoretical and empirical work on the role of art as a tool for conflict transformation.In the specific context that has been studied, the normative framework constructed through these findings show that larps and the larping community is encouraging a personal (norm-questioning) development within its participants. It also shows that larps could be used as a tool for evoking the moral imagination, helping people to imagine a future in peace, but also as a tool for rehabilitation and processing strong emotions. Within this framework, it is also suggested that larps could be used as a tool advocacy work as well as nonviolent resistance. Finally, larps could be used as a tool for creating a liminal space and social platforms where Israelis and Palestinians could interact on neutral ground. This thesis claims that larp is a potentially significant tool for conflict transformation and therefore deserves further research within the field of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Denne oppgaven undersøker mulige psykososiale helseeffekter hos palestinsk ungdom etter deltakelse i teaterprosjekt. Oppgaven ser på hvilke ulike muligheter og naturlige tråder som mer eller mindre kan knyttes mellom drama- og teaterfagfeltet og ny psykologisk forskning med menneskets tanker, erfaringer, reaksjoner og psykososiale helse i fokus. Forskningsprosjektet opererer på to nivåer. Jeg har brukt innhentet empiri fra et feltarbeidsopphold ved Ashtarteater i Ramallah i Palestina og jeg har tilnærmet meg ulike typer teori. Analysen er delt inn i fire underkategorier basert på mine empiriske funn: det samfunnspolitiske og kommunikative aspektet, det sosiale, det emosjonelle og mentale og det fysiske. Etter endt analyse står jeg igjen med at teater som en likeverdig, tilrettelagt og konstruktiv arena kan tilføre ungdom tryggheten og erfaringene de trenger for å kunne oppleve en form for positivselv transformasjon og videre posttraumatisk vekst. / This thesis examines the possible psychosocial health effects on Palestinian youth after participation in a theatre project. The thesis looks at the various options and natural threads that more or less can be seen between drama and theatre studies and new psychological research with human thoughts, experiences, reactions and psychosocial health in focus. The research operate son two levels. I have used empirical data obtained from a stay at Ashtar Theatre in Ramallah in Palestine and I have approached various theories. The analysis is divided into four subcategories based on my empirical findings: the socio-political and communicative, the social, the emotional and mental and the physical aspect. By summarizing the analysis, I find that theatre as an equal, accessible and constructive arena can provide youth confidence and experience that enables them to experience a form of positive self-transformation and posttraumatic growth.