The American Political Science Association Journal publication Perspectives on Politics for June 2007 includes an intriguing article called, From Taboo to the Negotiable: The Isreali New Historians and the Changing Representation of the Palestinian Refugee Problem by Michal Ben-Josef Hirsch.
It deals with the diverse group of Israeli historians known the New Historians who have, among other things, written more explicitly and extensively than previous mainstream Israeli historians about the Palestinian refugee problem created by Israel's 1948 War of Independence. Hirsch is specifically investigating whether the work of the New Historians has had a notable effect on the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. It's an unusual look at the way professional historical research can have effects in practical politics and diplomacy.
Some of the best-known New Historians are Benny Morris, Tom Segev and Michael Oren.
They are by no means united in their political ideologies and preferences. Ironically, although Morris' work on the Palestinian refugees has been one of the most important factors in a broader re-evaluation of the refugee issue among Israelis, Morris himself favors a very hard line against the Palestinians today. See Survival of the fittest by Ari Shavit Ha'aretz Jan 9, 2004. I commented on that article in A Bleak View of the Future 01/18/04.
1 comment:
I don't think Michael Oren would appreciate being called a "New Historian."
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