Topics in Israel Studies (280-4-2)
Topic
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Clash of
Instructors
Scott Abramson
Crowe Hall, 5-145
Scott Abramson is a historian of the modern Middle East and a Postdoctoral Fellow in Israel Studies at the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University. His research is concerned with the post-Ottoman experience of the Middle East's minorities, with special reference to their relations with the state of Israel. His articles—their subjects spanning a diverse topical spread, from Iranian Jewry to Lebanese Armenians—have appeared in such popular publications as The National interest and Tablet Magazine and in such peer-reviewed scholarly journals as The Levantine Review and The Journal of the Middle East and Africa.
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-415: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
It could well be argued that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is as much about history as about land. Just as possession of the Land of Israel/Palestine is contested between Israelis and Palestinians, so the right to that land is contested between the two peoples, and for both sides, it is history that establishes that right, as if conferring a title deed to the country they both claim as their own. Israeli and Palestinian views of history, however, are so different as to be irreconcilable. This course explores this discrepancy, looking at the two peoples' narratives both on their own terms and in relation to one another. How is it, we will ask and answer throughout the course, that the central events in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are recounted and remembered so differently by the two sides? We will then look at the ways in which Israelis and Palestinians have enlisted history in the service of their cause to vindicate their own right to the land while impeaching that of the other claimant. Accordingly, we will consider the polemical and apologetic dimensions of the two narratives, as we analyze each narrative's omissions, emphases, distortions, trivializations, exaggerations, and appeals to pathos. It will be seen, from our inquiry in this course, that history itself is another battleground in the century-plus-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Registration Requirements
No registration requirements.
Learning Objectives
This course will initiate the student into the approaches, methods, and principles of historiography. By quarter's end, the attentive student will be well acquainted with the following: *the uses to which history is put in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict *the "received historical narratives" of the two parties to the conflict *the "perspectival differences" between Israelis and Palestinians in their view of history *the centrality of history to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict *the interplay between history and collective memory *the use and abuse of history in the conflict *the impact of history on the conflict *the differences in the construction and reception of history by Israelis and Palestinians *the impact of historiographical developments on Israelis and Palestinians.
Evaluation Method
Attendance & Class Participation: 10%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Paper: 35%
Final Exam: 35%
Class Materials (Required)
Materials will be provided by the instructor.
Class Attributes
Historical Studies Distro Area