Gaza: A History (Comparative Politics and International Studies) - Hardcover

Filiu, Jean-Pierre

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0190201894 ISBN 13: 9780190201890

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2014

Synopsis

Gaza has become synonymous with conflict and dispute. Though only slightly larger than Omaha, Nebraska at 140 square miles, the small territory of Gaza has been a hot spot for bitter disputes between sparring powers for millennia, from the Ancient Egyptians up until the British Empire and even today.

Wedged between the Negev and Sinai deserts on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, Gaza was contested by the Pharaohs, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Fatimids, Mamluks, Crusaders, and Ottomans. Then in 1948, 200,000 people sought refuge in Gaza-a marginal area neither Israel nor Egypt wanted. It is here that Palestinian nationalism grew and sprouted into a dream of statehood, a journey much filled with strife.

Though small in size, Gaza's history is nothing short of monumental. Jean-Pierre Filiu's Gaza is the first complete history of the territory in any language. Beginning with the Hyksos in 18th century BC, Filiu takes readers through modern times and the ongoing disputes of the region, ending with what may be in store for the future.

About this title

About the Author

Jean-Pierre Filiu is Professor of Middle East Studies at Sciences Po in Paris, and has held visiting professorships at both Columbia University and Georgetown University.

Review

"A magnificent piece of historical writing: clear in its exposition, careful in its use of a treasure-trove of new sources and judicious in its analysis of competing political claims to this small and troubled strip of land. It is difficult to see how it will ever be rivaled in terms of scope, intensity and sympathetic understanding." --Roger Owen, Emeritus Professor of Middle East History, Harvard University

"Based on interviews and hard to find documents, Filiu's book is a remarkable work of scholarship that will long stand as the standard history of Gaza. In a subject area strewn with polemic, the author is objective and level-headed." --John Calvert, Professor of History, Creighton University, USA

"Superbly researched and well written, Filiu's work is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand contemporary affairs in the Middle East and the relationship between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people." -Publishers Weekly

"Filiu provides a reader with a wealth of information, a historical perspective that greatly deepens our appreciation of the importance achieved by Gaza in the past, and above all, depicts the brutality of Israel's behavior toward the people of Gaza and its failure to quell the spirit of Palestinian resistance." -Richard Falk, Princeton University

"This history ranks as a masterpiece in the literature of the Arab-Israeli conflict. It tells the facts, explains both sides of the coin and leaves readers to draw their conclusions...An excellent but sobering book." --Michael Sheridan, The Sunday Times

"Jean-Pierre Filiu tells the story of Gaza's modern political history in impressive detail."
--David Shulman, New York Review of Books

"Jean-Pierre Filiu's authoritative and well-sourced history of Gaza from earliest times to the end of 2011 fills a serious gap. Even those who know Gaza well will find much in this book to enlighten them." --The Independent

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0190201894
• ISBN 13: 9780190201890
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 440