PALESTINE, ZIONISM AND THE NAKBA
with Sherene Seikaly
Teach-In Session 18 - January 23, 2024
TEACHING RESOURCES
This teach-in offers general timeline and guiding analytical principles for understanding the history of Palestine as well as the rise of Zionism. In particular, students and scholars interested in the history of antisemitism, the rise of Zionism, and the social and economic landscape of Ottoman Palestine will benefit from Seikaly's detailed explanations.
Sherene Seikaly is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her book Men of Capital: Scarcity and Economy in Mandate Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2016) explores economy, territory, the home, and the body. Her forthcoming book, From Baltimore to Beirut: On the Question of Palestine tells a global history of capital, slavery, and dispossession. She is the Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UCSB, co-editor of the Stanford Studies Middle Eastern and Islamic Societies and Cultures Series, co-editor of Journal of Palestine Studies, and co-editor of Jadaliyya.
Bassam Haddad (Moderator) is Founding Director of the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program and Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is the author of Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience (Stanford University Press, 2011) and co-editor of A Critical Political Economy of the Middle East (Stanford University Press, 2021). Bassam is Co-Founder/Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine and Executive Director of the Arab Studies Institute. He serves as Founding Editor of the Arab Studies Journal and the Knowledge Production Project. He is co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary film, About Baghdad, and director of the acclaimed series Arabs and Terrorism. Bassam serves on the Board of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences and is Executive Producer of Status Audio Magazine and Director of the Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative (MESPI). He received MESA's Jere L. Bacharach Service Award in 2017 for his service to the profession. Currently, Bassam is working on his second Syria book titled Understanding the Syrian Calamity: Regime, Opposition, Outsiders (forthcoming, Stanford University Press).
Bassam Haddad (Moderator) is Founding Director of the Middle East and Islamic Studies Program and Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is the author of Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience (Stanford University Press, 2011) and co-editor of A Critical Political Economy of the Middle East (Stanford University Press, 2021). Bassam is Co-Founder/Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine and Executive Director of the Arab Studies Institute. He serves as Founding Editor of the Arab Studies Journal and the Knowledge Production Project. He is co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary film, About Baghdad, and director of the acclaimed series Arabs and Terrorism. Bassam serves on the Board of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences and is Executive Producer of Status Audio Magazine and Director of the Middle East Studies Pedagogy Initiative (MESPI). He received MESA's Jere L. Bacharach Service Award in 2017 for his service to the profession. Currently, Bassam is working on his second Syria book titled Understanding the Syrian Calamity: Regime, Opposition, Outsiders (forthcoming, Stanford University Press).
FULL TEACH-IN
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CONTENTS
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"For the Palestinians, the exodus and its aftermath were a full fledged catastrophe. The denial of self determination and basic rights as well as the dispossession and displacement did not end in 1948." - Sherene Seikaly
TEACHING GUIDE
Primed for a robust understanding of the history of the Question of Palestine, this teach-in launches with a general timeline and guiding analytical principles. Seikaly will trace the history of antisemitism, the rise of Zionism, and the social and economic landscape of Ottoman Palestine. Turning to the twentieth century, the teach-in will cover British colonial rule and end in 1948 with the troubled twin birth of the Israeli state and the Palestinian refugee condition.
- In what ways did early Zionist leaders like Theodor Herzl and Ze'ev Jabotinsky articulate their vision for a Jewish state, and how did these visions explicitly dismiss the existing Palestinian population or call for their destruction?
- To what extent did the rise of Zionism in Europe intersect with anti-Semitism in Western states, and how did this intersection contribute to policies that marginalized and displaced Palestinian communities?
- How did Zionist paramilitary organizations like Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi contribute to the displacement of Palestinians during the 1947-1948 period? Consider examining Ilan Pappe's work on the role of these groups in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
- How have different generations of Palestinians, both in diaspora and in Palestine, related to and commemorated the Nakba? Consider the publications of researchers such as Lena Jayyusi, Beshara Doumani, Khaldun Bshara, and others on memory and narrative among Palestinian refugees.
- In what ways did the United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 (Resolution 181) fail to consider Palestinian rights and interests, and how did this contribute to the ensuing occupation? Analyze the critiques presented by scholars like Walid Khalidi on the inequities of the partition plan.
- Documenting the Ongoing Nakba: Gaza as a Case Study: This project examines the concept of the "ongoing Nakba" through a focused study of Gaza from 1948 to the present. Students investigate how policies, military actions, and economic measures have contributed to continuous displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in Gaza. Students research various aspects of life in Gaza, including forced displacement, economic restrictions, resource control, and human rights issues. They analyze how these factors contribute to a state of ongoing dispossession and trauma, drawing parallels with the original Nakba while highlighting the unique challenges faced by Gazans in light of Israel's genocide.
- Oral History Archive: This project focuses on collecting and analyzing oral histories related to the Nakba. Students either conduct interviews with Palestinian elders or work with existing oral history archives. They compare these personal accounts with official records and academic studies on the impact of displacement. The project results in a digital archive of testimonies, accompanied by analytical essays exploring themes such as loss of property, changes in social structures, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma.
- Mapping Memories Before & After 1948: This hands-on project involves creating two large classroom maps - one showing Palestine before 1948, and another showing Israel/Palestine after 1948. Students work together to research and add details to these maps, including cities, villages, and important landmarks in light of the creation of illegal Israeli settlements. For the "before" map, students may focus on Palestinian villages and towns that existed prior to 1948. For the "after" map, they show changes like new illegal Israeli settlements and areas where Palestinians were displaced. As they build the maps, students also collect and share brief stories or facts about specific locations, which they can attach to the map. The finished product cann serve as a visual aid for discussing the changes that occurred in 1948 and their lasting impact. Consider using "All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel" by Walid Khalidi.
SEGMENTS
Zionist Claims/Palestinian ClaimsSeikaly breaks down both Zionist and Palestinian claims across and regarding history while offering a comparative analysis of the different narratives.
Ottoman Palestine/British MandateThe history, economy, and class formation within Palestine under both Ottoman and mandatory British Rule is examined by Seikaly within a larger geopolitical context.
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A History of AntisemitismHow do practices and policies promoting antisemitism begin to rise across history? How do they serve the Zionist movement? Find out in-detail from Seikaly's explanation.
Zionist Institutions/Jewish MigrationSeikaly offers a clear breakdown of the role Zionist institutions play in facilitating Jewish migration before, during, and after the rise of Nazi Germany.
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The Rise of ZionismThe rise of Zionism as a settler-colonial movement, supported by Western imperial powers, and building on Jewish experiences in Europe is explored and framed with supporting evidence.
1948 War & NakbaThe events leading up to and during the 1948 War are explained in-detail by Seikaly with emphasis on subsequent events, including the on-going Nakba.
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SOUNDBITES
On the Property of "Absentee" Laws |
On the Denial of Palestinian Peoplehood |
On the On-going Nakba |
