Contesting the past in Mandate Palestine : history teaching for Palestinian Arabs under British rule, 1917-1948
The period of British rule in Palestine witnessed a flowering of interest in history amongst the country's Arab population, paralleled by the rapid consolidation of recognisably 'Palestinian' Arab identities that had already begun to develop under Ottoman rule. Yet as Palestinian society engaged in this process of historical and national self-definition, the most potent vehicle for the transmission of shared historical narratives - the government school - remained firmly under the control of a Department of Education dominated by British officials. Drawing on a range of archival sources, published syllabuses and textbooks, and the recollections of Palestinian teachers and students, this study examines how the tension inherent in this situation played out at various layers of the school system up to the termination of the mandate in 1948. Challenging the commonly-held assumption that government schools and their British-imposed syllabuses acted purely as vehicles for the suppression of Palestinian national identity, it argues for a more nuanced model which recognises the multiple phases of mediation through which colonial educational programmes pass before they reach the level of the individual student, and
Harte, John
Contesting the past in Mandate Palestine : history teaching for Palestinian Arabs under British rule, 1917-1948. The period of British rule in Palestine witnessed a flowering of interest in history amongst the country's Arab population, paralleled by the rapid consolidation of recognisably 'Palestinian' Arab identities that had already begun to develop under Ottoman rule. Yet as Palestinian society engaged in this process of historical and national self-definition, the most potent vehicle for the transmission of shared historical narratives - the government school - remained firmly under the control of a Department of Education dominated by British officials. Drawing on a range of archival sources, published syllabuses and textbooks, and the recollections of Palestinian teachers and students, this study examines how the tension inherent in this situation played out at various layers of the school system up to the termination of the mandate in 1948. Challenging the commonly-held assumption that government schools and their British-imposed syllabuses acted purely as vehicles for the suppression of Palestinian national identity, it argues for a more nuanced model which recognises the multiple phases of mediation through which colonial educational programmes pass before they reach the level of the individual student, and
past mandate palestine history_teach palestinian arabs british_rule period british_rule palestine witness interest history amongst country arab population parallel rapid consolidation palestinian arab identity already begin_develop ottoman_rule yet palestinian society engage process historical national self_definition potent vehicle transmission share historical_narrative government school remain firmly control department education dominate british_official drawing range archival source publish syllabus textbook recollection palestinian teacher_student study_examines tension inherent situation play various layer school system termination mandate challenging commonly held assumption government school british imposed syllabus act purely vehicle suppression palestinian national_identity argue nuanced model recognise multiple phase mediation colonial educational_programme pass reach level individual student