Half a Century through Personal Stories: Palestinian and Israelis in 1967 and Onward

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Regina Bendix
• Subject Area: Social and Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology
• Term: from 2016 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 257998957

This ethnographic project addresses the personal experiences of individuals, whose lives span over the tumultuous decades of conflict in Israel/Palestine since 1967. International, national and local political bodies with their military power territorially shape and administratively control this region, and generally disregard the communicative and cultural practices of individuals with heterogeneous identifications in this everyday context. Finding oneself evacuated from an apartment and witnessing others moving in, upholding neighborly relations despite political turmoil, working in enemy households and taking care of their children, protesting on behalf of those whoare oppressed by ones government: These overlooked yet powerful experiences reaching back over five decades will be jointly documented by researchers led by an Israeli and a Palestinian P.I. They will jointly train junior researchers in qualitative interview methods and demonstrate by example the heuristic value of on the ground attention to life experiences, brought into circulation among and beyond the conflict parties. Prior research has shown that understanding the fears and aspirations about the opponent reduces antagonisms towards the other and contributes to an acknowledgement of shared if differently experienced hardships. Personal stories encapsulate complex experiences in poignant form. Their analysis and dissemination in concerned populations contributes to a more differentiated understanding of the gap between individual aspirations and political polarization. Working with the oldest generations, the project prepares a discursive meeting ground for those whose lives began in the midst of hardened frontiers. A meta-project accompanies the two local research teams; it relies on the same methods as the primary project and illustrates how qualitative social and cultural researchers are by necessity entwined with their research sites, even in peaceful of times. The meta-project elaborates on the kind of reflexivity that has to be mustered in conflict situations to work toward cooperation across conflict lines while simultaneously maintain a stance of genuine empathy vis-à-vis field consultants. The research as a whole seeks to model for younger generations in Israel/Palestine as well as for other such conflicts an approach to defuse hardened political stances and transcend to the basis of common humanity.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Israel, Palestine
• International Co-Applicants: Professor Dr. Aziz Haidar; Professorin Dr. Hagar Salamon