Youthscape of Palestinian everyday life: Rethinking modes of resilience and production of opportunities in Jerusalem

Driven by local–global factors, youth are mostly the architects who shape their societies. The youthscape in Palestine is shaped by the dynamics of asymmetrical power within challenging geopolitical conditions under the Israeli occupation. Amid individual variations, Palestinian youth struggle for a quality life under uncertainties. This study investigates the perception of everyday life among the youth (18–25 years) of Beit Hanina neighborhood in Jerusalem as they encounter Israeli colonial infrastructure. De Certeau’s theories of space and everyday life and Luhmann’s system differentiation theory are applied. This study qualitatively adopts a survey-based methodology to investigate the relationship between the youth experiences while crossing checkpoints. A conceptual framework is employed to triangulate space, time, and the youth experiences. Modes of resilience are analyzed through the intersectionality of emerging patterns of practices of everyday life and sense of agency to produce a new paradigm of opportunities. The current study clarifies how the youth negotiate their everyday life practices between their own modes of resilience and production of opportunities, thus reshaping the youthscape in East Jerusalem. This study contributes to the literature on everyday life of the youth, particularly within a colonial context.