Hegemonic Solidarity? NGO Perceptions on Power,Solidarity,and Cooperation with Their Donors

Abstract

The aim of this article is to understand how power, hegemony, and solidarity are related within the context of foreign aid from the perspective of recipient civil society organizations. By applying qualitative methods and the analytical framework of foreign aid understood as gift, the study explores how these factors are perceived, described, and explained by Palestinian nongovernmental organization leaders. The findings prove that even the “perpetual” recipient can exert certain nonmaterial power over the donor. In the Palestinian case, it is the weakness itself—the combination of helplessness and injustice—which can be understood as “power” even if not as “power over” the donor but at least “power to” secure foreign aid.