I really appreciate Armstrong's use of thorough descriptions. By describing the images and the sounds of the story she is telling, I am able to feel as if I am part of the story. (Am I part of the story? If so, when do I come in?)
Having spent a considerable amount of time in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and specifically Jerusalem, reading Armstrong's descriptions of places and people brings me back to many memories. It is really amazing how not much has changed. While technology, people, and politics change over time, the geography and the cultures are so similar to what they used to be.
Anyway, these chapters introduce some modern ideas. It is important to note the variations of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity that exist in the world and within Jerusalem. As I read about the way Christians and Jews interacted, I could not help but see similarities with how Jews interact with other Jews, and Christians interact with other Christians. I know I've written about this before, but I keep returning to the idea that religions must get along with their own people before they can get along with others.
There is so much tension as a result of religion in the region. I wonder in what other ways we could divide the people into social/cultural groups. Would the situation be different if all the people in Jerusalem were classified along a one-axis political spectrum? How would right- or left-leaning Palestinians interact with right- or left-leaning Israelis?
I think it would be very interesting to look at identity data from Jerusalem. What can the ways that individuals classify themselves teach us about the conflict? Could this data be used to stop violence and conflict?
I really like your idea of analyzing inhabitants of Jerusalem through looking at factors other than religion. This is refreshing since normally when talking about the Arab-Israeli conflict we only focus on religious aspects, but looking at other societal factors like demographics and identity formation could definitely be useful in conflict resolution. I think if we looked at the ways in which these people classify themselves (through nationality, religion, etc.) it could possibly give a better understanding of effective approaches that should be taken.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a history dating thousands of years remains so fresh in the minds of so many people is so important when looking at the way forward in Jerusalem. Like you say, there are numerous historical precedents for peaceful interaction between religious groups. The trick becomes making this the first thing people think about when looking at the history of the reason, not the ages of conflict.
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