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"The divisive and malleable nature of history is at its most palpable in situations of intractable conflict between nations or peoples. In these circumstances, how each party interprets or appropriates historical accounts informs their understanding of the roots of the conflict as well as how they relate to and interact with their adversaries. This book aims to advance our understanding of the significance of history in informing the relationship between parties involved in intractable conflicts through the concept of thick recognition and by exploring its relevance specifically in relation to Israel. It suggests that the recognition of crucial identity elements, such as widely shared understandings of history, might increase the potential for relationship transformation in intractable conflicts. More widely, the book discusses how the Israeli debates over New History can be understood as related to processes of conflict transformation as well as seeking answers to what can be seen as facilitating and inhibiting circumstances for the introduction of new understandings of history in the debates on Israeli New History"--
List of contents
List of Acronyms Acknowledgements PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction PART II: THEORY 2. Thick Recognition and Conflict Transformation 3. Identities in Conflict PART III: NEW HISTORY 4. Boundaries and Recognition in Israeli Master Narratives 5. Boundaries and Recognition in Israeli Counter Narratives 6. The Challenge 7. The Confrontation PART IV: CONCLUSION 8. Thick Recognition - Past and Present References
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"Lisa Strömbom's book deals with the vexed topic of how Israelis remember their history. Memory, she reminds us, is a source of intractable conflicts. Reremembering, and seeking recognition for one's invented recollections, is a means of transforming conflicts and of opening new avenues to co-existence and peace. Strömbom thinks hard, writes well, and provides a fresh take on the most troubling conflict of our era."
Erik Ringamr, Zhi Yuan Chair professor of International Relations, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China
"Lisa Strömbom has produced a very thorough and insightful analysis of the role of history in processes of conflict transformation. She combines the development of a solid theoretical framework for assessing the formation of collective identities with an impressive account of how the 1948 war is remembered in Israel today. Her ground-breaking concept of thick-recognition provides an important lens through which to analyse if and how parties to a conflict move from enmity to mutual acceptance. The study is a must read for anyone who is interested in conflict transformation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Susanne Buckley-Zistel, Professor in Peace and Conflict Research, Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany
