Empowerment and Resistance Against Oppression Explains the Relationship Between Historical Knowledge and Support for Palestine Among College Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/ce.v17i3.187087

Keywords:

college students, Palestine, historical knowledge, critical consciousness

Abstract

College students’ calls and demonstrations for Palestine Liberation in universities across the United States have increased exponentially after October 7, 2023. However, little is known about the dynamic relationship between historical knowledge and support for Palestine. We use critical consciousness theory to frame our study and hypothesize that students’ knowledge of the history of occupied Palestine will predict college students’ support for Palestine Liberation. In addition, this relationship between historical knowledge and support will be explained by college students’ experiences of empowered resistance against oppression. Mediation analyses suggest that college students’ (N = 250; Mage = 20.45, SD = 4.07) historical knowledge about the occupation and colonization of Palestine increased their empowerment and resistance, which increased their support for Palestine Liberation. We conclude with recommendations to support college students during times of crisis, fostering their education of Palestine, supporting other oppressed peoples, and resisting oppressive and racist systems.

Author Biographies

Richard Chang, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Richard Chang is an American Psychological Association and American Psychological Foundation’s Springfield LGBTQIA+ Congressional Fellow whose scholarship is deeply informed by questions of oppression, resistance, and social justice. His research examines how social ecological systems shape identity and the lived experiences of underrepresented communities, particularly regarding race/ethnicity, class, and sexuality. Rich aims to pursue a faculty career, advancing research that bridges social psychology, critical consciousness, and social justice in both theory and practice.

Minh Duc Pham, Columbia University

inh Duc Pham identifies as a Vietnamese scholar-activist and is currently a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University. His research examines oppression, activism, and solidarity through a critical lens, using diverse mixed methods and prioritizing marginalized perspectives. He also organizes with multiple decolonial collectives on various fronts, in and outside academia.

Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is a trained social psychologist, and her research program examines the impact of microaggressions and other forms of oppression on marginalized people. She is an activist scholar and uses liberatory frameworks in her approach to psychological research.

Cover image for Critical Education, Volume 17, Issue 3, 2026

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Published

2026-08-17

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Palestinian Liberation in Education: Solidarities and Activism for a Free Palestine

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Copyright (c) 2026 Richard Chang, Minh Duc Pham, Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt

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