The book is a multi-faceted examination of the ways in which individuals, families, communities, formal organizations, informal associations, and social groups have confronted, shaped, and been affected by the profound transformations wrought by the second intifada and Israeli attempts to suppress it since September 2000.

The Ramallah-area communities under study are the Am’ari refugee camp, the Umm al-Sharayit, and the Masyoun. The themes raised were explored in interviews conducted over three years in these communities. The authors situate the three communities in the larger social universe of Ramallah and al-Bira and point to significant differences in the making of community, identity and place in the three settings.