© Columbia University Press
Nakba: Palestine, 1948, and the Claims of Memory
Paper, 416 pages, 14 illus.
ISBN: 978-0-231-13579-5
$28.50
/ £17.00
April, 2007
Cloth, 416 pages, 14 illus.
ISBN: 978-0-231-13578-8
$75.00
/ £44.00
"Nakba provides crucial insights into the Palestinian-Israeli situation yesterday, today, and, perhaps, tomorrow. This is a voice which needs to be heard by everyone interested in resolving this conflict." — Ahdaf Soueif, author of The Map of Love
"This is a voice which needs to be heard by everyone interested in resolving this conflict." — Palestine News Agency
"Essential reading..." — Al Awda California
"Essential for anyone interested in testimony and history." — Gershom Gorenberg, BookForum
"[A] moving collection of writings on the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland in 1948 . . . Highly recommended." — CHOICE
"The editors . . . have compiled a collection of impressive contributions that weave together the rich and changing tapestry of Palestinian memories." — Randa Farah, H-Levant
"The catastrophic expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland in 1948 is a historic injustice that demands the attention of the entire world. Americans, Israelis, and Jews in every nation must especially give heed to this astonishing collection of masterful essays. Far from being a melancholy assemblage of anger and self-pity, this book is a major political and scholarly achievement, reflecting deeply on the traumatic roots of national identity, the role of memory and amnesia, history and mythical narrative, legal doctrine and eyewitness testimony, women's experience, men's business, and lost places found again in song, story, and film. This is essential reading for anyone who longs for a just settlement to 'the question of Palestine,' the question of the Middle East, or, indeed, the establishment of a world order of peace and justice." — W. J. T. Mitchell, The University of Chicago, and author of What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of Images
"These essays form a formidable, thoughtful, and incisive collection. The analyses here engage trauma studies, the problem of the historical construction of memory, and the ways politics seize upon and efface memory for the purposes of establishing historiographical control over the past. These writings are pervasively critical, in the best sense, demonstrating at once the difficulty and the necessity of memory. At stake in this volume is not only how to tell the story of this dispossession but also how to tell the story of why this story has become untellable in so many quarters. Here one finds lament, anguish, anger, and political demands for justice in a set of analyses that are thoughtful, self-reflective, and complex." — Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor, University of California at Berkeley
"The Nakba is a continuous presence in Palestinian life. The occupation of the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 and the denial of Palestinians of the right to self-determination make the Nakba a living memory. This book is a combination of scholarly work and testimony. Claims of memory are part of the struggle for justice, and justice for Palestinian victims begins by recognizing their right to speak." — Elias Khoury, Global Distinguished Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, New York University, and author of Gate of the Sun