Colonial Jerusalem: The Spatial Construction of Identity and Difference in a City of Myth, 1948-2012

In one of the few anthropological works focusing on a contemporary Middle Eastern city, Colonial Jerusalem explores a vibrant urban center at the core of the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This book shows how colonialism, far from being simply a fixture of the past as is often suggested, remains a crucial component of Palestinian and Israeli realities today. Abowd deftly illuminates everyday life under Israel's long military occupation as it is defined by processes and conditions of apartness and separation as Palestinians are increasingly regulated and controlled. Abowd examines how both national communities are progressively divided by walls, checkpoints, and separate road networks in one of the most segregated cities in the world. Drawing upon recent theories on racial politics, colonialism, and urban spatial dynamics, Colonial Jerusalem analyzes the politics of myth, history, and memory across an urban landscape integral to the national cosmologies of both Palestinians and Israelis and meaningful to all communities.

Author: Thomas Philip Abowd
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 06/24/2014
Pages: 287
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.23lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780815633488

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2015 pg. 1020

About the Author
Thomas Philip Abowd is a lecturer in the Department of German, Russian, and Asian Languages and Literatures at Tufts University.