The Israel/Palestine conflict is often portrayed as an intractable struggle between two diametrically opposed nations and often discussed in simplistic binary terms (Jew vs Arab, East vs West, Religion vs Secularism). This workshop challenges such polarizing framings by considering how shared experiences of exile, war, trauma, religious nationalism, and connection to homeland have shaped both Israeli and Palestinian societies and asks whether recognition of these similarities could be the foundation for future reconciliation.
We will be closely reading and discussing poems by Mahmoud Darwish and Yehuda Amichai, two authors held up as the 'national poets' of Israel and Palestine respectively, despite the fact that they were both quite critical of nationalism in their work.
Leading our discussion will be cultural anthropologist and Judaic Studies scholar Dr. Rachel Feldman, a Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College, who has lived and conducted research in both Israeli and Palestinian societies and has published two books on Israel/Palestine. Feldman is the author of Messianic Zionism in the Digital Age(Rutgers 2024) and co-editor of Settler-Indigeneity in the West-Bank (McGill-Queens 2023).
*Everyone who registers will have access to the recording after the event if you can't join live.
