
Gaza: A History
Matthew Teller
Jean-Pierre Filiu. John King, tr.
2017, Oxford UP, 978-0-19062- 3-081. $21.95 pb.
Histories of Palestine tend to be overarching, rarely focusing in tightly on one city and its hinterland. Alongside an obvious exception to that—Jerusalem—Jean Pierre Filiu has added Gaza. Filiu’s first sentence, “The word ‘Gaza’ arouses passions and emotions whenever it is uttered,” sets the tone for the book, first published by Hurst in 2014, as he unearths new sources in what the publishers claim is the first comprehensive history of Gaza in any language. Fifty pages are devoted to “Gaza before the Strip,” charting the city’s path from the earliest times into the 20th century. After that, more than 300 pages meticulously examine the aftermaths of 60 years of wars and refugee influxes as Gazans repeatedly led the Palestinian struggle against occupation. The story is often a bitter one, but as Filiu recognizes, Gaza “lies at the heart of the nation-building of contemporary Palestine.”
You may also be interested in...
British Library’s 500-Year-Old Nizami Manuscripts Shed Light on Power of Art and Poetry in 12th-Century Herat
Persian and Mughal scholar and specialist Barbara Brend presents a comprehensive study of one of the most highly esteemed works of Persian Literature.The Great British Bake Off Winner Nadiya Hussain Gathers Global Recipes in Culinary Celebration of Ramadan
Nadiya Hussain's diverse recipes highlight the global unity of Muslim cultures and cuisines.Child's Play: Reconstructing Everyday Life of Youth in Ancient Egypt
Egyptologist Amandine Marshall observes how the depictions of children created by Ancient Egyptians seldom illustrated their actual lives.