Putting it on the agenda (again)

HISTORICAL DIALOGUE IN HISTORY EDUCATION IN ISRAEL, THE GAZA STRIP AND THE WEST BANK

Aims of today

1. Brief and dense tour of education systems and history education

British Mandate Palestine

Israel

Gaza Strip

West Bank

2. A position on history education to be debated after the presentation(s)

children= citizens-in-the-making and thus key actors in building long term reconciliation and political change.

Multi-perspective enquiry based history education in form of local children’s histories as a way forward?

Mandate Palestine

Education structures

Few public schools for Palestinians

American missionary schools in larger cities

Jewish schools system (on backdrop of pro-Jewish immigration policy)

Establishment of Islamic schools as counter-reaction to British failure to provide education for Palestinians

Separate education systems established mono-lingual educational cultures and spaces

Educational systems reproducing community elites

History education Public schools for Palestinians

Hegemonic curriculum on basis of British history

Jewish schools system

diaspora history

century long positive relations between Palestinians and Palestinians Jew

connected histories rather than separate

social and political fragmentation and development of two nationalisms

(History) Education in Israel

Israelis• Aim of a Zionist historical

consciousness (radical break)

• 1st gen. Textbooks = national commemorative narratives (1950s-1970s )

• 2nd gen. textbooks in the 1970’s no different (ministerial publications)

• 1980: 37% of Jewish students explicated hated Arabs. 67% stated that Arabs should not have full and equal rights.

• Moderation of textbooks from late 1980s to 2nd Intifada (partial ‘de-zionisation’ during Peace Process)

Post-intifada = Zionism regained hegemonic position in education

Bedouin1948-1966

• Education system for ‘Israeli Arabs' under military control• Underfunded system, over-

crowded buildings and rotating teacher corps

• Use of hegemonic curriculum influenced by Zionist curriculum for Israeli Jews

• Education = imposed policy like forced urbanisation

1967-

• ‘Civilian’ education system established

• Aim of loyalty to Israeli

• Despite curriculum change in 1970’s emphasis still on• Israeli hegemonic

commemorative narratives

• Jewish place names

• Renamed Israeli Arabs

Palestinians1948-1966

• Education system for ‘Israeli Arabs' under military control

• Underfunded system and overcrowded buildings

• Use of hegemonic curriculum influenced by Zionist curriculum for Israeli Jews

1967-

• Civilian education system established, but no Palestinian influence

• Aim of loyalty to Israel

• Despite curriculum change in 1970’s emphasis still on

• Israeli hegemonic commemorative narratives,

• Jewish place names

• Renamed Israeli Arabs

Continuation of imperial policy of separate education systems + mono-lingual and oppositional educational cultures , identities and

spaces

Openings & alternatives within Israel

In education

Handful of bi-lingual schools established jointly by Israeli and Palestinians parents

Shared history classes with attempts to deal with conflicting histories

History booklets with dual narratives co-developed by Israeli and Palestinian scholars, teachers and international observers through the Peace Research Institute of the Middle East (Adwan & Bar-On)

Civil Society

NGO engagement (i.e. Zochrot and the Haifa Initiative)

workshops, public lectures, videos, articles, tours as well as study and learning groups from the early 2000’s

Theatrical plays for Israeli pupils and students by both professional theatres and co-productions with schools

Village histories of villages destroyed with the establishment of Israel on basis of memories, oral history as well as Ottoman and British land ownership documents

Education in the Gaza Strip

1948-1967

1948-1966

• UNRWA school system from 1949 with intention of ‘integration’

• Pro-Egyptian curriculum by Jordan due to control of territory

• Class rooms: some space for Palestinian teachers to focus on Palestinian perspectives

• Development of strong ties to memories of older generations of former homes and villages

• UNRWA schools vehicles for development of strong sense of Palestinian identities

1967-1993• Educational system still run

by UNRWA and textbook curriculum by Jordan but in context of Israeli occupation

• 1968-1969: Re-examination Suppression of Palestinian history through of UNRWA textbooks after Israeli pressure through UN

• Class rooms: some space for Palestinian teachers to focus on Palestinian perspectives

• Development of strong ties to memories of older generations of former homes and villages

• UNRWA schools vehicles for development of strong sense of Palestinian identities

1993-Formation of Palestinian Authority and Ministry of Education

History curriculum under Palestinian control for the first time

1996-2001 textbooks found moderate or unproblematic by international analyses

Post-intifada textbooks turn towards stronger emphasis on Islam (PLO vs. Hamas), in some cases liberation becomes Holy War just as Christian Palestinians are excluded

New online project of peace education to be launched soon (Jamil)

Education in the West Bank

1948-1967

1948-1966

• UNRWA school system from 1949 with intention of ‘integration’

• Pro-Jordanian curriculum by Jordan due to control of territory

• Class rooms: relatively large space for Palestinian teachers to focus on Palestinian perspectives

• Development of strong ties to memories of older generations of former homes and villages

• UNRWA schools vehicles for development of strong sense of Palestinian identities

1967-1993• Educational system still run

by UNRWA and textbook curriculum by Jordan but in context of Israeli occupation

• 1968-1969: Suppression of Palestinian history via re-examination of UNRWA textbooks after Israeli pressure through UN (Jordanian wish of taking over West Bank)

• Class rooms: relatively large space for Palestinian teachers to focus on Palestinian perspectives

• Development of strong ties to memories of older generations of former homes and villages

• UNRWA schools vehicles for development of strong sense of Palestinian identities

1993-Formation of Palestinian Authority and Ministry of Education

History curriculum under Palestinian control for the first time

1996-2001 textbooks found moderate or unproblematic by international analyses

New project of peace education to be launched soon

Outcome: Education system part of creating oppositional identities

Self Suffering of nation

Nation ever present rather than in the making

Used for political legitimisation

Other De-humanised/de-familiarised

Silencing of the other’s suffering

Existence questioned or de-legitimised

Socio-cultural inter-action ignored

Theoretical platform: Historical dialogue through localised children’s history of everyday life History was part of problem why it also needs to be part of

the ‘solution’ providing historical dialogue with aim of new political horizon(s) for future generations

1. Children are far more competent than often realised and able to develop and share views of the world and their place therein (Coady 2008)

2. Children= citizens-in-the-making = key actors in building long term reconciliation and political change (Coady 2008)

3. Imperial + local children histories for context and to re-humanise the living spaces and neighbours and show process of constructing of enemy images in older generations (building on PRIME)

Imperial contexts + post-imperial inspiration

Cyprus

• New textbooks from Tyrkish Cypriot government on basis of desire to re-join Republic of Cyprus from 2005 (withdrawn with change of government)

• Nation as a process rather than ever present static category

• Re-humanisation of other

• Nationalism portrayed critically

• Maps without dividing lines

Northern Ireland

• Multi perspective and enquiry bases textbooks

• Specifically designed for promoting

- Caring

- Critical thinking

- Recognition of constructivist process

- Democratic values

China, South korea & Japan

• New un-official history textbook from 2005 and 2011

• written by scholars and teachers from all three countries and translated

• No sponsor or subsidies

• Difficult issues tackled

• All 3 countries presented as one community

1917-1948• 1920s + 1930’s

– Stable inter-communal relations

• Palestinian Revolt, 1936-1939– Intercommunal tension leads

to violence + inclusion of Jewish settlers in police force

– Emergence and development of enemy images

• 1939-1947– Continued intercommunal

tension and increasing separation

– Youth movement settlements + post-war 11 points in Negev ( )

1948 Middle Eastern war/ Nakba/War of Independence

• 220.000 urban and rural Palestinians into Gaza Strip after destruction of 45 out of 61 villages in district

• Social tension challenges existing categories and relations (young old, rich-poor etc.) altered

• Establishment of geographies of militarism

• Militarisation of Everyday life

• Enemy images reinforced with the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the establishment of Israel

1948-1956 (I)- Overcrowded camps, poor housing and growing number of children (=> 90.000), inadequare rations + diseases

- Egyptian military + police regime

- Constant overflight of Israeli fighter jets + Frequent mortar attacks + raids

- Israeli army kill policy (1951=>)

- 10 new Jewish settlements

- Emergence of revenge raids and supply raids

- UN military observers suggest building of security barrier

- Nassir: Formation of Palestinian Suez Unit + Border Guards + Student Union

1948-1956 (II)- Egyptian military raids and bombings (mostly as response to Israeli attacks)

- Promotion of miltiarism in + negative discourse on Palestinians children’s media, litterature and board games

- Blur of time of peace and war with frequent overflight of Israeli fighter jets + massive military exercisees + fortification projects by 100.000’s of people

- Emergence of revenge raids and supply raids (latter often by youth gangs)

- 10 new state initiated settlements with offensive architecture with soldiers, young pioneers + young couples

1956-1957 French + Israeli naval

shelling and Israeli aerial bombing of Gaza Strip

Thousands try to flee, but no where to go + winter

Israeli Occupation: From Bad to Worse => Loss of hope of possibility return

Massacres in refugee camps to locate militant infiltrators => massive trauma to already struggling children and youth

1957-1967

- Return of Egyptian Police and Palestinian Border Guards

- UN military presence with 5.500 soldiers enforcing no-crossing regime

‘peacekeeping economy’ with international presence pushing up prices and egyptians buying luxury goods from Lebanon + remittances from Gulf states

- Occasional hootings and arrests of palestinian adults and children in ADL zone + - UN traffic accidents

- Intensifying Israeli overflights

- Establishment of Fatah and deployment of armed companies in 1959 almost forced out UN forces from fear of clashes

- Girls marrying younger as family means of getting extra support, but overweight of boys (Gulf remittances scheme)

Phases

Phase 1• Gather interested

people

• Brainstorm

• Develop

• Plan

• Workshops

• Production of material or supplements if using textbook of PRIME

Phase 2 • Test with

participating teachers, elders and local groups of children

• Evaluate

• Revise

• Test with participating teachers , elders and local groups of children

• Evaluate

• Revise

Phase 3Spread message and ‘system’

Summary/Could it work?

Cyprus, Northern Ireland, China, South Korea and Japan

Localised children’s histories:

Re-humanisation of others and their living space

Enquiry based (interpret documents, interviews, films. etc)

Multiple simultaneous perspectives

Specifically designed for promoting- Caring

- Critical thinking

- Recognition of constructivist process

- Democratic values

Nations shown as processes

Mandate Palestine, Isrel, West Bank & Gaza Strip

Localised children’s histories:

Re-humanisation of others and their living space

Enquiry based (interpret documents, interviews, films. etc)

Multiple simultaneous perspectives

Specifically designed for promoting- Caring

- Critical thinking

- Recognition of constructivist process

- Democratic values

Nations shown as processes