Customer Reviews

Palestinian Identity

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Khalidi's goal is to make a case for Palestinian Nationalism's existence as not necessarily presuppossing the existence of Zionism; therefore, he places the locus of its origin before the *nakba* of 1948. To be specific, Khalidi situates the crucial years during the late and post-Ottoman period in Palestine. The author is not a primordialist, but rather, he is a constructivist. Taking nationalism as peculiar phenomenon to modernity, it locates him in a precarious position in which to create room for his argument, for he insists that Palestinian identity can be seen as a process which could have potentially evolved w/o Zionism as its interlocutor (though, of course, it did not). His arguments and presentation are masterful.

Recommended for anyone who studys the area and/or conflict, essential read.

Unfortunately, some of my fellow-reviewers seem to consider this book another interpretation of the Palestinian history. Although Khalidi's book is largely based on research in primary sources (traditional approach of historicist), it largely attempts to explore matrix of narratives that make up the Palestinian identity.
Khalidi takes us back to the mid-ninteenth century where he traces the first basic elements of the Palestinian identity as a collective identity. He then stresses the importance of Jerusalem around which a grand part of the Palestinian identity revolves. The emergence of Arab nationalism as a liberation movement against Ottmoam occupation, and today's Arab leaders misuse of Arab nationalism as a ruling device through which they maintain their power, and the combination of a Palestinian identity with the larger concept of Pan-Arabism are all underlying constituents of the 'Palestinian'. Of course, Khalidi also relates to Palestinians' relation to Zionism and then Israel and the establishment of the PLO.
This is a very ambitious book, but I think that it misses a very important chapter on a particular group of Palestinians - the Arabs of Israel. Their experience is unique and indispensable to the Palestinian identity and somehow Khalidi misses to acknowldge their prence and contribution to the Palestinian identity. Otherwise, this is a 'must' for those who wants to really know who the Palestinians really are instead of sticking to the constantly ludicrous images of the Palestinian as a bloodthirsty terrorist.
Khalidi seem to turn every stone in order to provide a comprehensive picture of today's Palestinian.

As an American Jew who spent a decade living in Israel and loathing "the Arabs" - this book has done more for my own personal transformation of "understanding the other" than any other experience. Khalidi is meticulous, yet dispassionate in his gathering of primary sources in which he documents the every day details of Palestinian life, particularly in the periods of Ottoman Empire rule and the British Mandate (before the founding of Israel). REGARDLESS of your views on "the conflict" this book is essential reading in exposing the HUMANITY of Palestine and Palestinians to the West. I found it particularly refreshing that unlike some researchers, Mr. Khalidi does not lament the tragedy of the Palestinian as solely a "travesty perpetrated by the Zionists". Rather, he takes to task his own people calling them on the failures that have perpetuated their misery, and the complicity of neighboring Arab states as well in the complex, sad, and often shadowy events that have befallen the Palestinian people.

Just cause some few people lived somewhere thousands of years ago doesnt justify displacing, killing, humiliating millions and depriving them of basic human rights. Israel always use the same old - jews lived here before so its ok for us to displace millions of Palestinians, create a entirely new country that never existed, destroy a country that existed for several years. Arab jews lived in Israel so they have rights to live there but just because you are jewish and can be from Europe or somewhere else doesnt mean you need to live there. Why not form separate countries for Buddhists also and also for athiests cause we are tired of living with other people of other religions. And why not displace millions more and make them refugees to create new countries. We talk about secularism and democracy but then form nations on pure basis of religion. How much sense does that make. I guess at least now Israeli government should recognize the Palestinians as human beings and not animals. All the root cause of problems in the middle east for which we all pay in one form or another no matter where you live would be gone by this kind act. Allow the poor palestinians to live with peace and help rebuild Lebanon which was destroyed by the poor Israelie who were trying to get back their kidnapped soldiers. By the way anyone ever read whatever happened to the kidnapped soldiers apparently for whom Israel bombed everything in Lebanon even little children. Where did they go? What was the reason for that crazy war and death of thousands of civilians. This book just shows the facts but forget the facts and just see the current most recent history.

Palestinian identity is indeed an outstanding book.Rashid Khalidi was always able to bring facts into existence.I highly recommend reading this book of great contribution to all those who wish to be enlightened about the history of the palestinian identity.

That Palestinians do not have a "glorious" or "traditional" history is irrelevant.

And I use the word "history" with good reason; history must be based on fact or it counts as nothing. ... Those who take religious folklore and pretend that it's history are lying to themselves and everyone else; "Scripture" is actually a collection of folk tales and religious mumbo-jumbo, a mix of faith and folklore, not is NOT a collection of books of truth and fact. Yet the fact-free assumption that "Scripture" consists of facts (complete with a talking Deity ! WOW !) is what underlies much Western thinking, both on Middle Eastern matters and much else; go figure ?

. . . If some folks find this a tough bit of information to accept, well . . . TOO BAD.

Palestinians base their claim to the land on their longtime physical presence ON the land, not on religious folklore

. . . PALESTINIAN IDENTITY is an excellent book, one that everyone who is interested in FACTS should read.

The preface of this book really seals the concepts of the previous text: "Nations as a natural, God-given way of classifying men, as an inherent ... political destiny, is a myth; (this is really what Frontier Fictions' author intended to say)." Nationalism takes pre-existing cultures, modifies or destroys them. This seems solid. In Khalidi's discussion of Palestinian Identity, the word Arab strikes a cord of long-standing culture and Palestine seems connected only with a sense of confusion. Khalidi clears this perception of confusion. He is trying to dismantle many myths about the Palestinian-Israeli identity creation by taking the discussion to pre-WWII. He is combating the idea that as a result of the events of 1948, Israel came into being and with it, and/or in reaction to this, Palestinian identity was manufactured as a kind of cultural, political counter assault.
The gist of his text is to convince the reader that Palestinian identity has long roots and is therefore "real." The sense I have after reading his text is that not only is Palestinian identity a construction, so is every other national identity on the planet. While I agree with his assertion that Palestinian identity is no less real than the French example he uses in the seventh chapter, I feel that French, Japanese, American and other identities as equally as fictitious as the pro-Zionist writers claim Palestinian identity is. Just as he promised, the author brings into clear relief, not only discussions of Palestine and Israel, but of national and regional identity construction. The final description of the "reemergence of Palestinian identity" brought me to question more than ever before the global construction of national identities everywhere. The powerful emotional, even common psychological bond shared by Palestinians resulting from shared miseries strengthens the "reality" of the identity, according to Rashid Khalidi. This same social pressure is common to other nations as well.

I'm pretty sure Seth Frantzman didn't read Khalidi's book. It doesn't even begin to approach any of the claims he makes in his "review." In fact, it is mostly about how Palestinian identity first developed in the 1920's, under the British Mandate, not after 1967. Watch out for biased reviews.

Wow. This is one great book. Although I wish there would have been more discussion of gender, it nonetheless is a fascinating book. Highly recommended. The read is a bit tough at times, but always lucid.

The Palestinian Identity was created by the resistance to Israel. This is the most interesting revelation that comes from this study. Before Israel the Palestinians were a group of Bedouins, Druze, immigrants, Nouvo riche families(Nashashibis) and effendis(Husaynis). Palestine had been an Ottoman backwater. In the beginning it was grafted onto Jordan. But today's Palestinians don't think of themselves as Jordanian. This is an irony since in 1948 it was not the Israel that invaded Palestinian lands but rather the Egyptians and Jordanians that `occupied' Palestine from 1948-1967. In a sense the true identity of Palestine came about only after 1967 in the opposition to being government by Dhimmis or non-Muslims. It was at this point that the Palestinians, who had no real identity, suddenly found themselves, in opposition. Arafat, a minor character, gained fame among the refugees and the rest is history. Now the Palestine `identity' has tried to graft itself onto the Israeli-Arabs, especially the Bedouins and Druze who support Israel because they were suppressed by the `Palestinians' and their fellow Arabs by being denied land. This is an ironic identity, almost as amazing as the Zionist creation of a `New Jew' identity in the 1930s. If anything this book is a testament to how history can be invented, and how people who had no idea they belonged to a political unit 60 years ago suddenly feel like `brothers' due to their shared experiences. An extraordinary account.

Seth J. Frantzman