Anatomy of the 1936––39 Revolt: Images of the Body in Political Cartoons of Mandatory Palestine
This article analyzes body images in political cartoons during the 1936––1939 Arab Revolt. By deciphering the visual messages in the political cartoons of two newspapers——the Arabic Filastin and the Hebrew Davar ——the article examines how body representations portray stereotypes of rivals and reveal assumptions about and relations between conflicting parties. Visual imagery maintained its impact by illustrating nationalist attitudes, critiques, and goals. In addition to being referents to a period not well documented in images, cartoons are also potent historical sources for reconstructing a sociopolitical history of Palestine.
A dictated policy: cartoons and the 1936 strike in Palestine
Current scholarship emphasises the dominant role played by the Arab press in the general strike in Palestine in 1936. In spite of this, cartoons, a crucial feature of Filastin – the most widely circulated Arabic-language daily in the Mandate – have received little scholarly attention. The current paper seeks to correct this through examining editorial cartoons to demonstrate how they reflect Filastin’s role in engendering sympathy toward and participation in the general strike among a broader audience than could be reach by the textual content of the paper. Cartoons contributed to the transformation of what it meant to be Palestinian in the context of the broader national struggle against Great Britain and Zionism by examining discourses of ‘peoplehood’ – i.e. intersecting and overlapping categories of identity – interrogating subjects such as gender, nation and class to mobilise disparate elements of Palestinian society against colonial intrusion.
A History of Israel
This course is a political, social, and cultural history of modern Israel from the origins of Zionism in the late nineteenth century to the present. It aims to provide students with a deeper grasp of the personalities, events, forces, and structures that have shaped modern Israel. Emphasis will be placed on the development of historical understanding through close engagement with major debates pertaining to the subject of the course. We will explore debates in Israel's history, like those between different streams of Zionism, or between proponents and opponents of a written constitution, or between conflicting visions of Israel as a " Jewish " state. We will also explore debates among historians and sociologists of Israel/Palestine, such as the debate over the 1948 war, or over whether Zionism should be considered a colonial movement. Some of the debates we will study involve issues that were once fiercely contested but now appear more or less settled; most—like the debate over the compatibility of Israel's " Jewish " and " democratic " self-definition—remain timely and relevant. Learning Objectives This course has several learning objectives that will serve as the basis for assessment. Students will be evaluated on their ability to:  Demonstrate a grasp of the history of Israel that goes beyond the surface of events to explain underlying ideas, controversies, patterns, and structures.  Reason historically, e.g. by thinking contextually and concretely, avoiding unwarranted generalizations and anachronisms, perceiving change and continuity over time, considering how historians with divergent orientations (political, social, intellectual) might approach and explain the same historical phenomenon differently, appreciating complexity, periodizing, etc.  Imagine themselves into the point of view of some of the groups and individuals we will encounter in our course, showing an ability to " see " things from different perspectives and to present these perspectives in a way that is nuanced, concrete, and historically plausible.  Argue positions on some of the major debates in Israeli historiography, in class discussions and in particular in the formal in-class debates. (See " Requirements ")  Analyze both primary and secondary literature (historiography) critically, e.g. by attending to things like context, structure, and argument, distinguishing thesis from supporting evidence, considering alternative explanations for given data, discerning possible authorial biases, etc.  Work collaboratively, as part of a debating team.