The Arab-Israeli Conflict and Peace Process Through 1948 to Present

Catalog description

The course begins with the origins of both Zionism as an intellectual, European movement and of Arab and then Palestinian Arab claims for sovereignty in the early 20th century. The course interrogates not only the histories of ideologies that led to revolution and violence in the modern history of Palestine and Palestinians and of Zionism and Israel, but also the very notions of 'conflict' and 'peace.' It examines ideas of state and nation as well as practices of Ottoman and then British imperialism and Zionist settler colonialism in the territory that became Palestine, then Eretz Israel, and now Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Throughout the semester, students will explore how these ideas and practices are linked to the development of violence, armed struggle and a myriad of nationalist and religious-nationalist ideologies as they came to be understood by Palestinian Arabs, Zionist settlers, Palestinian citizens of Israel, Islamists, and Israeli religious/national groups. Students are tasked with considering the historical social, political, cultural, and religious implications of these discourses and practices. We will make use of documentary and other primary sources and texts, including poems, excerpts from literature, memoirs, film footage, posters, and other forms of media. By the end of the semester, students will be able to analyze and discuss the historical significance of the multi-faceted ideologies and motivations held by actors involved in the armed struggle movement(s) in Palestine and Israel, and the shifting nature of nationalisms as dependent upon locations, time periods, and understandings of history and politics. This course meets the Dietrich Gen Ed "Intercultural and Global Inquiry" requirement. Course Website: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/history/