Introductory Topics in Middle East and North African Studies (290-4-2)

Topic

Violence in Israel/Palestine: A History

Instructors

Shira Pinhas
Crowe 5-167
Office Hours: Wednesdays 10:00 – 12:00

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L28: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

Violence in Palestine/Israel: A History

"Guns don't kill people, people kill people" (American proverb). "You are different with a gun in your hand; the gun is different with you holding it" (Bruno Latour, Pandora's Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies, 179). These two sayings present diametrically opposed views of the relationship between weapons and society: one regards weapons as a neutral medium that merely executes violent human intentions, while the other attributes to them agency in shaping those very intentions. This course examines this tension through the history of violence and arms in Palestine/Israel, spanning the periods of the Ottoman Empire, British rule, and the establishment of the State of Israel up to the present day. Violence is a human experience unlike any other. It leaves deep emotional and physical imprints, and sometimes transforms the very way people perceive and sense the world. To examine this, we will engage with poetry, music, and film alongside archival sources, inquiring into how violence has shaped the subjectivities of perpetrators, victims, witnesses, and bystanders across various times and contexts.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
SoC Individual and Social Behavior Distro