Product Description

There is no single history of the development of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are two. The Israeli historical narrative speaks of Zionism as the Jewish national movement, of building a refuge from persecution, and of national regeneration. The Palestinian narrative speaks of invasion, expulsion, and oppression. No wonder peace remains elusive. This volume attempts to present both histories with parallel narratives of key points in the 19th and 20th centuries to 1948. The histories are presented by 14 Israeli and Palestinian experts, joined by other historians, journalists, and activists, who then discuss the differences and similarities between their accounts. By creating an appreciation, understanding, and respect for the "other," the first steps can be made to foster a shared history of a shared land.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #805703 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
"A useful resource in teaching about the conflict. Moreover, the structure of the book makes it more difficult for Israeli scholars to monopolize legitimacy of *their* story as *history*. " —Simona Sharoni, Journal of Palestine Studies

"In Shared Histories the editors present the reader with a fascinating attempt to examine this capital-I 'Issue' that lies behind and permeates all the small-I “issues” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. …[They] daringly throw open the discussion of myriad hot-button historical topics…[and] the reader is quickly and repeatedly exposed to the deep chasms in the way in which history is remembered and retold. " —Israel Horizons (Ron Skolnik, Meretz USA)

"…unpredictable and surprising…the book abounds with subversive historical gems that contradict narrative dogma…. This series of erudite exchanges sets the entry bar high in terms of background knowledge. It is an insider’s portrait of the complex, nuanced and alternately complementary and skeptical relationships of a group of Israeli and Palestinian professional historians to each other’s work, and to the dominant narratives in whose shadow they operate…. Through it all, the participants move seamlessly between critiquing and defending their own and each other’s narratives. No one hews blindly to orthodox interpretations, and it is difficult to predict opinions based on identity; these historians think for themselves and say unexpected things. Shared Histories is a rare example of Israeli/Palestinian conflict discussion—among academics, no less—that defies the laws of negative interdependence. The quality and collegiality of the discussions is particularly notable, given that they occurred during the most lethal period of Israeli/Palestinian violence since 1948. If Israeli and Palestinian intellectuals can engage in dialogue of this level, at that time, it should be possible to debate these issues substantially and productively in academic forums further removed from the conflict." —Israel Studies Forum

"As the peace process in Palestine lurches along and cynicism grows about the possibility of ever having a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement, it is refreshing to come across Shared Histories, which is both hard-nosed and hopeful. …The juxtaposition of solid scholarship with all-too-human debate on issues underpinning the question of the Right of Return and other hot topics makes reading Shared Histories especially relevant." —Palestine-Israel Journal 13, 2

"The reader, whether steeped in the history of the conflict of simply looking for some explanation of why it is so intractable, sees through the eyes of the protagonists themselves why mutual understanding is so difficult and, in the process, begins to understand why the two sides have not been able to come to terms." —Edy Kaufman, University of Maryland and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (emeritus)

From the Inside Flap
This volume attempts to present a dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian scholars over competing narratives in the 19th and 20th century history of the Middle East to 1948, in the hopes of creating an appreciation, understanding, and respect for the “other.”

From the Back Cover
The reader, whether steeped in the history of the conflict of simply looking for some explanation of why it is so intractable, sees through the eyes of the protagonists themselves why mutual understanding is so difficult and, in the process, begins to understand why the two sides have not been able to come to terms. —Edy Kaufman, University of Maryland and Hebrew University of Jerusalem (emerita)

This rare book will help inform Israelis and Palestinians of each other’s narrative, as well as identify points of agreements, which will contribute to diminishing the misunderstanding and hostility that have undermined peace efforts and reconciliation. —Philip J. Mattar, Editor, The Encyclopedia of the Palestinians, and former Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace

There is no single history of the development of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There are two. The Israeli historical narrative speaks of Zionism as the Jewish national movement, of building a refuge from persecution, and of national regeneration. The Palestinian narrative speaks of invasion, expulsion, and oppression. No wonder peace remains elusive. This volume attempts to present both histories with parallel narratives of key points in the 19th and 20th centuries to 1948. The histories are presented by 14 Israeli and Palestinian experts, joined by other historians, journalists, and activists, who then discuss the differences and similarities between their accounts. By creating an appreciation, understanding, and respect for the "other," the first steps can be made to foster a shared history of a shared land.

Customer Reviews

Shared Histories: Superb execution of an important concept
"Shared Histories" is a bold experiment that has achieved notable success. It has begun the process of producing a common understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If we cannot all agree on the interpretation, we must at least all be cognizant of the interpretations of different sides, and we must be able to agree on the bare facts. The authors initiated what is essentially a dialogue project between Israeli and Palestinian historians. This book is the result of that dialogue.

If you have read more than one account of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you know that it is virtually impossible to get an impartial account of any event or an impartial jury regarding any question in that conflict. The making of history is skewed not only by the inevitable honest personal biases, but often by conscious attempts to "spin" events in order to satisfy preconceived ideological notions. Two narratives inevitably were generated among two peoples, and an "industry" supporting and amplifying each of those narratives was generated to perpetuate and enlarge the differences. This situation does not aid in our understanding. More important, it is intended to vindicate one or the other side, and is not conducive to the convergence toward elements of a common perception needed as the basis for peace.

This book, and the process it has initiated, can go a long way to remedying the problem. Most of the major issues separating Israel Zionist and Arab Palestinian percepts of the genesis of the conflict are covered. Participants from both sides present and discuss their views of demographic changes and immigration, the evolution of Zionism and of the Palestinian Arab movement, the 1948 War of Independence, refugee question and more. They have created a genuine intellectual document in which working historians present their views and are challenged by their peers.

If you are seriously interested in understanding the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and are not afraid of slaughtering some ideological pet roosters and sacred cows, you need to read this book.

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