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From Empire to Empire
Jerusalem Between Ottoman and British Rule
Abigail Jacobson
Cloth $34.95s
| 978-0-8156-3255-9
| 2011
"From Empire to Empire is an outstanding book and a significant contribution that asks new questions and does not fear to cross rigid boundaries set by previous historical works."—Insight Turkey
"The author does a very good job of analyzing the difference between Sephardi versions of Zionism versus Ashkenazi versions....I recognize the importance of this book and highly endorse it."—Amneh Badran, Journal of Palestine Studies
"Throughout the book, Jacobson illuminates our understanding of the transformation that took place, particularly within the Jewish community and in its relation to Zionism....I would highly recommend this book for classroom use as well as to readers interested in the Israel-Palestinian conflict."—Issam Nassar, International Journal of Turkish Studies
"A thoroughly original study, which transcends and questions both the rigid boundaries between the communities in Palestine, and the standard historical periodization, to provide a nuanced and clear picture of a crucial transitional moment in the history of that country. It constitutes a significant contribution to the history of both Palestine and Israel."—Rashid Khalidi, author of The Iron Cage: the Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood
"Offers a refreshingly novel insight into Palestine’s modern history and its thorny inter-communal relations. Looking at Jerusalem from the multiple perspectives of its populace in times of acute crisis, it makes an invaluable contribution to Middle Eastern urban history. Any future study of Middle Eastern cities, or the impact of war on the region, will have to rely on Jacobson’s book for methodological and analytical inspiration....On the whole an exciting book and an impressive scholarly achievement."—Ami Ayalon, author of Reading Palestine: Printing and Literacy, 1900-1948
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Abigail Jacobson teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzlia, Israel. Her research focuses on the social and urban history of mixed urban communities in Palestine in the late Ottoman period and the British mandate. Her articles have appeared in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, and Jerusalem Quarterly.
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The history of Jerusalem as traditionally depicted is the quintessential history of conflict and strife, of ethnic tension, and of incompatible national narratives and visions. It is also a history of dramatic changes and moments, one of the most radical ones being the replacement of the Ottoman regime with British rule in December 1917. From Empire to Empire challenges these two major dichotomies, ethnic and temporal, which shaped the history of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. It links the experiences of two ethnic communities living in Palestine, Jews and Arabs, as well as bridging two historical periods, the Ottoman and British administrations.
Drawing upon a variety of sources, Jacobson demonstrates how political and social alliances are dynamic, context-dependent, and purpose-driven. She also highlights the critical role of foreign intervention, governmental and nongovernmental, in forming local political alliances and in shaping the political reality of Palestine during the crisis of World War I and the transition between regimes.
From Empire to Empire offers a vital new perspective on the way World War I has been traditionally studied in the Palestinian context. It also examines the effects of war on the socioeconomic sphere of a mixed city in crisis and looks into the ways the war, as well as Ottoman policies and administrators, affected the ways people perceived the Ottoman Empire and their location within it. From Empire to Empire illuminates the complex and delicate relations between ethnic and national groups and offers a different lens through which the history of Jerusalem can be seen: it proposes not only a story of conflict but also of intercommunal contacts and cooperation.
View other books in the Space, Place, and Society series
6 x 9, 264 pages, 7 black-and-white illustrations, 2 maps, notes, references, index
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