To Rule Jerusalem

by Roger Friedland, Richard Hecht

Overview

Twentieth-century Jerusalem is doubly divided. As well as being a holy site for both Judaism and Islam, the city contains secular Israelis and Palestinians who ground their respective national identities within its borders. To Rule Jerusalem provides a historical and ethnographic account of how Jerusalem has become the battleground for conflicts both within and between the Israeli and Palestinian communities. Roger Friedland and Richard Hecht examine the relation between Zionism and Judaism and between Palestinian nationalism and Islam. Based on hundreds of interviews with powerful players and ordinary citizens over the course of a decade, this book evokes the ways in which these conflicts are experienced and managed in the life of the city. To Rule Jerusalem is a compelling study of the intertwining of religion and politics, exploring the city simultaneously as an ordinary place and an extraordinary symbol.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520220928
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	09/19/2000
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	604
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Roger Friedland is Professor of Sociology and Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Richard Hecht is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Table of Contents

List of maps; List of photographs; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction. To rule Jerusalem; 1. A fearful fusion; Part I. The Two Zions: Jews against Zionism in Jerusalem: 2. Zion against Zionism; 3. Black Zion; 4. Sabbath wars; 5. To control the center; Part II. Zion Divine: Jerusalem as the Messianic Central City: 6. A few footsteps for the Messiah; 7. Staking the claim; 8. Building the capital; 9. Suburbs of the Messiah; 10. Defensible borders; Part III. Birth of a Nation: 11. Platform for Palestine; 12. Zion for Palestine; 13. A state of mind; 14. The Islamic challenge; 15. Baghdad, Berlin and Jerusalem; Part IV. Heart of Stone: 16. Al-Quds and Tunis; 17. The city that ate Palestine; 18. Heart of stone; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Historical ethnography of Jerusalem that includes a fair amount of current political information as well. Divided into four sections, two deal with Jewish aspects of Jerusalem and two with the Arab aspects of the city. The latter are especially interesting in light of the upcoming "final status" negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian authority. Jerusalem is considered as a whole, but is also viewed as a fundamentally divided city: divided between Jews and Arabs and between religionists (Jewish and Moslem) and nationalists (Jewish and Arab).

Jewish Book World

"Portraits of religious and political leaders combine with biographies of plain citizens who exemplify broad currents within the society. This counterpoint helps make the book a good read as well as an informative piece of research, and it sharpens the reader's sensitivity to life there." William Cutter, Religious Studies Review

"...the authors examine a Jerusalem where past insinuates itself into present, and present interprets past. They take the reader into the daily life of the Holy City, exploring the idealized history which often explains current reality." William Cutter, Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher