Click here (haaretz) to read about how one tour company tries to strike a delicate balance between competing historiographies involving Jerusalem and the Holy Land...
Do you think that efforts like this are effective? or naive?
3 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The optimist in me wants to believe efforts like this are effective. One of the biggest problems in this conflict is such one-sided education. Efforts like this show that unbiased education is a priority for some. -Elika
I am probably a bigger optimist in this case than you, Elika...I think this type of exploration of the truth by viewing all sides of the coin is one of the ways things will be able to change. The article talks about the student who wanted to join the 1-day tour to "broaden his perspective." Nobody wants to be sheltered from the truth; they just want their version of 'truth' to be the correct one. Learning about the other perspectives is an effective way of searching for a 'truth' that is based on understanding more than affiliation with one side or the other.
Is this fully effective? I don't know what the effect is right now. But I feel like this truly has a chance to show cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis, a cooperation that is desperately needed.
I agree with Valerie. If there is any hope of change and understanding, it will come via projects like this, powered by people like Aziz Abu Sarah and Shira Nesher -- people who want to have the vital civil conversation, rather than fight and alienate each other. Clearly, there exists a demand for perspective-broadening tours like this within the Israel area and from outside. This is encouraging, but we have to remember that the people against such civil discourse are loud and self-assured. And worse, they know they are right; people like that have no interest in having their perspectives broadened. This exercise in presenting the everyday experiences of both sides to those willing to think seems to me a fine enough way of fighting such people and fostering mutual understanding.
3 comments:
The optimist in me wants to believe efforts like this are effective. One of the biggest problems in this conflict is such one-sided education. Efforts like this show that unbiased education is a priority for some.
-Elika
I am probably a bigger optimist in this case than you, Elika...I think this type of exploration of the truth by viewing all sides of the coin is one of the ways things will be able to change. The article talks about the student who wanted to join the 1-day tour to "broaden his perspective." Nobody wants to be sheltered from the truth; they just want their version of 'truth' to be the correct one. Learning about the other perspectives is an effective way of searching for a 'truth' that is based on understanding more than affiliation with one side or the other.
Is this fully effective? I don't know what the effect is right now. But I feel like this truly has a chance to show cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis, a cooperation that is desperately needed.
I agree with Valerie. If there is any hope of change and understanding, it will come via projects like this, powered by people like Aziz Abu Sarah and Shira Nesher -- people who want to have the vital civil conversation, rather than fight and alienate each other. Clearly, there exists a demand for perspective-broadening tours like this within the Israel area and from outside. This is encouraging, but we have to remember that the people against such civil discourse are loud and self-assured. And worse, they know they are right; people like that have no interest in having their perspectives broadened. This exercise in presenting the everyday experiences of both sides to those willing to think seems to me a fine enough way of fighting such people and fostering mutual understanding.
-Nate
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