Jerusalem: Idea and Reality

Jerusalem, the holy city of three faiths, has been the focus of competing historical, religious, and political narratives from Biblical chronicles to today’s headlines. With an aura that transcends the boundaries of time and place, the city itself embodies different levels of reality – indeed, different realities altogether – for both observers and inhabitants. There is the real Jerusalem, a place of ancient streets and monuments, temples and coffee-houses, religious discourse and political argument. But there is also the imaginary and utopian city that exists in the minds of believers, political strategists, and artists. The study of this multifaceted city poses complex questions that range over several fields of inquiry.

The multidisciplinary studies in Jerusalem offer insights into this complexity. Chapters by leading scholars examine the significant issues that relate to the perception, representation, and status of the city at the historical, religious, social, artistic, and political levels. Together they provide an essential resource for anyone interested in the paradoxes that Jerusalem offers.

Tamar Mayer is a Professor of Geography at Middlebury College and the editor of Women and the Israeli Occupation: the politics of change (Routledge, 1994) and Gender Ironies of Nationalism: sexing the nation (Routledge, 2000). Her research interests focus on the interplay among nationalism, gender, and sexuality, particularly in the Middle East, and on the relationships among nationalism, landscape, and memory

Suleiman Ali Mourad is Assistant Professor of Religion at Smith College, USA. His research focuses on early Islamic history and religious thought, including the sanctity of Jerusalem. He is the author of Early Islam between Myth and History: al-Hasan al-Basri (d. 110H/728CE) and the Formation of His Legacy in Classical Islamic Scholarship (Brill, 2005).