The Persistence of the Palestinian Question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinians (Paperback)

~ Joseph Massad (Author)
Key Phrases: partition plan, development towns, nationalist agency, European Jews, Peace Process, European Jewish (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Massad is no practitioner of political correctness and one may not agree with everything he says. But his critique of Zionist ideology and practise is thoroughly researched, powerfully argued and often brilliantly insightful. - Walid Khalidi, formerly of Harvard University, USA

Joseph Massads The Persistence of the Palestinian Question insightfully probes contemporary politics within a broader historical framework. Looking into the contradictions around and within Palestine, the essays illuminate the complex shaping of the diverse and even conflicting Palestinian positions. This timely and engaging volume makes an invaluable contribution to the ongoing debate over Zionism and Palestine. - Ella Shohat, New York University, USA

This is a thought provoking book that forces us to reverse our conventional images and perceptions about Palestines history and future. This is a courageous intellectual exercise, long needed, in an often overburdened and repetitive field of inquiry. - Ilan Pappe, University of Haifa, Israel

The title of this book does not do justice to the contribution this book makes to the history of Zionism, Israel, and the Jews. Massads brilliant and scholarly work is profoundly illuminating not only for the history of Palestine and the discourses surrounding it, but for the history of Europe and the United States and, finally, as an account that raises compelling theoretical questions. - Anne Norton, Journal of Palestine Studies, Volume XXXVI Number 2, Winter 2007

The Persistence of the Palestinian Question is a valuable collection of essays analysing the discourses that drive, describe and dominate the Palestinian Question… Through 11 essays, as well as a heated Benny Morris–Joseph Massad interview-debate, Massad shows us that he is an apt follower of the Edward Said school. Journal of Peace Research

In The Persistence of the Palestinian Question: Essays on Zionism and the Palestinians, Massad stakes his claim to the mantle of leading Palestinian intellectual bequeathed him by former Columbia colleague Edward Said. It is a claim well made. Picking up the weaponry of discourse analysis, Massad sets out to reframe the debate, confront a hegemonic Zionist narrative, and articulate an alternative. His essays are guaranteed to annoy and stimulate in equal measure. Middle East Journal

Massad offers original and exciting insights in each of the eloquently written and eruditely reasoned chapters. Arab Studies Journal

This book makes fascinating reading for two interrelated reasons: It demonstrates with erudition the interconnectedness between the destinies of Israelis and Palestinians, not only in the obvious fact they share the same land, but also because many aspects of their identities and contemporary outlooks have been shaped in this faithful encounter… The book is fastidiously referenced, showing the erudition of the author and his command of the voluminous Israeli and Palestinian literature as well as the classics of Jewish history. Ephraim Nimni in Nations and Nationalism

[This] is a painfully honest book...Massads incisive critique of the false premises on which the peace process was conducted helps explain the dismal situation in which Palestinians find themselves today. Jordan Times

Product Description

In this new work, Joseph Massad presents a number of stimulating essays on Zionism and Palestinian nationalism. They are primarily concerned with the ideological underpinnings of the former, through race and culture and the Palestinian response and national agenda. Also examined is the role of gender, the holocaust, the refugee question, the peace process and its impact on Palestinian politics.

The book is primarily concerned with the centrality of the Jewish question and its overlap with the Palestinian question. It is divided into two sections: part one includes essays on Zionist ideology and Palestinian nationalism, while part two includes essays on the origins of the peace process and its transformation of the Palestinian political field. The essays, which have been previously published in a variety of academic journals, are brought together with a new, fresh introduction.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 222 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (May 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415770106
• ISBN-13: 978-0415770101
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #623,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)