Memory and Conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean

Description

The prime function of memory . . . is not to preserve the past but to adapt it so as to enrich or manipulate the present. –David Lowenthal, The Past is a Foreign Country)

In this program, students will investigate the political, cultural and economic life of the Eastern Mediterranean. Situated between Europe and the Middle East, this area includes the lands known today as Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and Egypt. Although it is the origin of some of the world's most important civilizations and religious traditions, this region has increasingly become a site of political conflict, war and terrorism. This program will explore how the past, and particularly contested memories of this past, plays a role in many conflicts that have arisen in this region as a result of colonialism, nationalism and religious differences. In particular, the program will focus on how contested memories of the past shape conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians, over the ancient heritage and modern identity of Egypt and over the identity and boundaries of modern Turkey and Greece. We will examine how struggles over the past—who claims it, what it means, and whose memories are empowered or marginalized—are primarily struggles over the present—who has power, which identities will be favored, and who has rights to territory and place.

Drawing primarily upon the fields of archaeology and political science, the program will introduce students to central debates and methodological issues in each discipline and students will learn how to examine the evidence and claims from archaeological findings, museums and heritage sites in light of contemporary political and cultural power relations. In the fall, the program will trace this region's evolution from the rise of ancient Egypt and classical Greece to the rise of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and then the transformation of the region through European colonialism and modern nation-states. We will explore the relationship between past and present through examining specific archaeological sites in each area, including Luxor (ancient Thebes) in Egypt, the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem and Catalhoyuk in Turkey.

In the winter, we will continue this study through examining Napoleon's conquest of Egypt, the origins and present status of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey at the end of the Ottoman Empire, among other topics. Our study will be based on theoretical texts and primary sources, novels and religious documents, as well as guest speakers and occasional field trips. Students will build learning communities through workshops, lectures, research, seminars and presentations. In the process, students will learn how to apply theory to case studies, undertake advanced research projects and develop critical thinking skills based upon an awareness of a diversity of views.

In the spring quarter, a group of students from the program—subject to qualifications and available space—will have the opportunity to travel abroad to Turkey and Egypt. This six-week travel abroad program will explore both ancient and modern sites and political developments in each location in order to deepen their learning about the role of memory and conflict within the contemporary region.