Calvin Goldscheider on the Arab-Israeli conflict

Calvin Goldscheider, Ungerleider Professor of Judaic Studies and professor of sociology at Brown, spoke with George Street Journal writer Kate Bramson recently about his latest book,"Cultures in Conflict: The Arab-Israeli Conflict," which was released at the end of October. Goldscheider took on the writing project for the Greenwood Press Cultures in Conflict series after being approached by executive editor Barbara Rader, whose son Michael was a student in his course on Israeli society.

How did you react to Barbara Rader's request?

My initial response was that there were many books that have dealt with social science aspects of the Israeli-Arab conflict. They didn't need a new one. But her idea was to focus not on the politics or the ideology, but on the human and cultural side. I thought I would give it a try. I found that there were few attempts to place the voices of Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs, into broader contexts. I tried to do that in the book. It was an exciting challenge. I try to blend historical and social science perspectives with the feelings and perspectives of various persons on all sides of the conflict.

You stress that the first step toward resolving conflict is understanding the position of the other by placing oneself in that role. What is still needed in the region for this understanding to take place?

I am supportive of all the diplomatic efforts to work through the problems and find common ground. I think that the steps necessary will involve removing the Israeli military presence from Palestinian territory, as well as many of the Israeli settlers. The Palestinians will have to control the violence of their own people and leadership. Mostly, we need to educate the next generation in ways that reinforce tolerance not revenge, that stress the commonality of experiences not hatred, that encourage nationalism but with sensitivity to diversity.

The empowerment of the Palestinians will in the long run result in their focus on the development of their own state. So, developing an economic infrastructure and new political leadership will move the process of normalization that will be required for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We should focus on educating the next generation to provide new leadership and new formulas for living together or separately but in peaceful relationships.

What role do you think Brown and other universities should play in encouraging the understanding that is so necessary to resolve conflict?

We have started a series of educational activities in courses and in Brown-sponsored forums and student groups. That is central to our mission as a university. We should continue to do so. Exciting and challenging students (and faculty) to think in new ways about the complex issues involved is one of our goals. There is no greater justification for Brown's commitment to diversity (in its faculty, student body and programs) than the ways in which diversity moves us along the path toward greater understanding of those not like us and those not sharing our background and biases.

Can you share some highlights of the human vignettes you include in your book, including their importance in understanding the regional conflict?

The human vignettes reveal the depths of feeling about identity and homeland, about anger and frustration, about goals and aspirations that characterize the various actors in the Arab-Israeli drama. I was struck by how similar are the phrases and logic used by the various parties to the conflict. These differing views rarely emerge from the social science"hard" data. But they are real in the minds of people. The book attempts to contextualize the vignettes.