Arabs and Jews in Ottoman Palestine: Two Worlds Collide

When did the Arab-Israeli conflict begin? Professor Alan Dowty traces the earliest roots of the conflict to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, arguing that this historical approach highlights constant clashes between religious and ethnic groups in Palestine. He demonstrates that existing Arab residents viewed new Jewish settlers as European and shares evidence of overwhelming hostility to foreigners from European lands. He shows that Jewish settlers had tremendous incentive to minimize all obstacles to settlement, including the inconvenient hostility of the existing population.

Alan Dowty is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He is author of The Jewish State: A Century Later and Israel/Palestine. He is a graduate of Shimer College and the University of Chicago, where he received his Ph.D. in 1963. In 1963-1975 he was on the faculty of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, during which time he served as Chair of the Department of International Relations. Since 1975 he has been based at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a Past President of the Association for Israel Studies, and in 2017 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Israel Studies from the Association for Israel Studies and the Israel Institute. 

Co-sponsored by: The Academic Engagement Network; Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC); Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs: International Relations Program, Department of Political Science, and Middle Eastern Studies Program; The Jewish Federation of Central New York, The Jewish Studies Program and Hillel at Syracuse University.   

This event is free and open to the public. Live in-room captioning (CART) will be provided. For parking and other inquiries, please contact Deborah Toole at datoole@syr.edu or 315.443.2367.