COLONIAL NARRATIVES
Between Myths and Realities (Part 2)
Teach-In Session 12
TEACHING NOTES
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SUMMARY
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BIOGRAPHY
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RESOURCES
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This particular teach-in series examines recurring colonial myths in some detail, while simultaneously juxtaposing them against actual statements made by original founders, the historical record, and enduring policies/practices of the state of Israel. From founding myths to the demographic “problem,” settlements, propensity for making/rejecting peace, and beyond, these conversations document the gap between myths and realities of Israel’s decades-long occupation and dispossession of Palestinians.
From founding myths to the demographic “problem,” deconstructing these narratives is essential for understanding both the current nature of the Palestinian occupation and struggle for freedom as well as the false histories that the Zionist Israeli state uses to justify its colonial settler violence.
From founding myths to the demographic “problem,” deconstructing these narratives is essential for understanding both the current nature of the Palestinian occupation and struggle for freedom as well as the false histories that the Zionist Israeli state uses to justify its colonial settler violence.
Rashid Khalidi is Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. He received his BA from Yale in 1970, and his D.Phil. from Oxford in 1974. He is editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies, and was President of the Middle East Studies Association, and an advisor to the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid and Washington Arab-Israeli peace negotiations from October 1991 until June 1993. He is author of: The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917- 2017 (2020); Brokers of Deceit: How the U.S. has Undermined Peace in the Middle East (2013); Sowing Crisis: American Dominance and the Cold War in the Middle East (2009);The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (2006); Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East (2004); Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (1996); Under Siege: PLO Decision-Making During the 1982 War (1986); British Policy Towards Syria and Palestine, 1906-1914 (1980); and co-editor of Palestine and the Gulf (1982) and The Origins of Arab Nationalism (1991), and The Other Jerusalem: Rethinking the History of the Sacred City (2020).
Find Rashid Khalidi's most recent book: The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi
Learn more on Colonial Narratives: Gaza in Context: A Collaborative Teach-In Series — Colonial Narratives (Part 1)
Learn more on Colonial Narratives: Gaza in Context: A Collaborative Teach-In Series — Colonial Narratives (Part 1)
FULL TEACH-IN
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CONTENTS
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"The idea that the war we see in Palestine today has been going on since time immemorial and that there's always been a conflict between Arabs and Jews is fundamentally false." - Rashid Khalidi
SEGMENTS
Narratives on Immigration and Population/DemographicsLearn about the population in Palestine across the decades and how its majority Arab population gradually witnesses an influx of Jewish migration as a result of Europe's antisemitism.
Narratives on the Founding of IsraelMany narratives exist on the founding of Israel, infamously propped up by the belief that Palestine was "a land without a people for a people without a land". Khalidi unpacks why such a statement is inherently false.
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Narratives on Zionist Displacement/Replacement of PalestiniansHow do we understand the process of displacement and replacement that was carefully manufactured and pushed by the Zionist movement yet shaped to appear 'natural'?
Narratives on Arab Jews in Arab CountriesWhat is the truth behind why Arab Jews fled the Arab countries in which they had lived in prosperity for years? Listen to the role played by Israel in manufacturing the environments that would motivate this migration to Israel.
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On How Explicit Israeli Statements Evidencing Palestinian Claims are OverlookedHear Khalidi explain why minimal confrontation has existed with the realities of Zionism and Palestinian occupation despite explicit evidence supporting Palestinian claims in Israeli works and history.
Narratives on Palestinians Refusing Generous Peace DealsPalestinians are often criticised for refusing "generous" deals through out history, yet what were the terms of these "generous" deals? Khalidi describes how these deals disproportionately advantaged Zionists while harmed and stole from Palestinians.
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SOUNDBITES
On A Jewish State in An Arab Land |
On the Forced Displacement of Palestinians and the Nakba |
On the Premeditated Plan to Conquer Palestine |
Map: United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine
Discussion & Research-Based Questions
- How do colonial narratives shape and perpetuate power dynamics between the colonizer and the colonized reflected in the media today? Discuss with examples from the teach-in.
- Discuss the concept of "demographic threat" and its implications for the Palestinian population in the context of discriminatory Israeli immigration and settlement policies.
- Examine the narratives surrounding the refusal of "generous peace deals" by Palestinians. What factors might contribute to the perception of these deals as "generous" or not? How do power dynamics and historical context shape the acceptance or rejection of such deals? Consider sayings such as "Palestinians Never Miss an Opportunity to Miss an Opportunity".
- Discuss the impact of deconstructing and challenging colonial narratives on the ongoing struggle for Palestinian freedom and self-determination. How might this process contribute to a more just and equitable resolution of the occupation?
- Analyze the role of media and popular culture in perpetuating or challenging colonial narratives surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How can these narratives be effectively countered or reshaped?
- Examine the narratives surrounding the "generous" peace deals offered to Palestinians throughout history. What were the actual terms of these deals, and how would they impact Israelis and Palestinians differently? How were these deals presented as "generous," and what are the underlying motivations behind these narratives?
Creative/Group Projects & Activities
- Decolonial Mapping Project: Students research and create alternative maps of historic Palestine that challenge colonial cartography. These maps should depict Palestinian villages, towns, and communities that were erased or renamed after the Nakba due to the creation of Israeli settlements or other means of erasure.
- Oral History Archive: Students may research second-hand/recorded interviews with Palestinian elders, refugees, or community members that record first-hand accounts of displacement, resistance, and life under occupation. These oral histories can be compiled into a digital archive or exhibition to counter erasure and preserve counter-narratives to colonial narratives highlighted in the teach-in.
- Deconstructing Narratives on Demographics Case Study: Students investigate specific instances or policies of demographic engineering by Israeli forces (e.g., forced expulsion, house demolitions, revocation of residency rights, segregated roads and infrastructure). They analyze the motives, impacts, and how these practices reinforce colonial narratives of demographics and immigration in Palestine.