Description:

Since this fall, intense attention has turned to Israel and Palestine. Many on campus who are following events find themselves with basic questions about actors, geography, contested narratives and even the words used to describe what is happening. This speaker series aims to help fill some of these gaps. Jointly sponsored by the Middle East and North Africa Studies Program, the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies and the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, the initiative seeks to offer the Northwestern community knowledge on this vital history from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century. Sessions will feature renowned scholars from the U.S. and abroad from a wide range of personal and academic backgrounds, and are open to members of the Northwestern community.

While we are familiar with the nationalist conflict today between Israelis and Palestinians, this conflict does not represent the historical encounter between Arab Muslims, Christians, and Jews over the centuries, particularly in the era of Ottoman rule in Palestine up to World War One. In this talk, Awad Halabi will examine how Palestine’s different religious communities were able to engage and interact with one another in the era of Late Ottoman rule in Palestine (c. 1850–1917). Their relationship changed drastically after the introduction of British rule in 1917 that demanded people identify as national communities who competed with one another for political power.

Awad Halabi is an Associate Professor of History and Religion at Wright State University, with a PhD in Near and Middle Eastern civilizations from the University of Toronto.

Registration is recommended but not required.