SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Is it possible to write about Jerusalem in the late ottoman and early British eras without being subservient to a cause or claim? In attempting to answer this difficult question this article will consider three themes dealing with the changing historical narratives produced in the last decade. the first will emerge from a discussion of the war period and the transitional era from ottoman to British rule. I will argue that the choice of one periodization rather than another is often driven by political, ideological and religious aims. I will show how current literature has introduced the study of the impact of the First World War on Jerusalem and its late ottoman past, thereby contributing to a bitterly contested re-writing of the history of the city. The second theme is the inclusion of local narratives produced by natives and residents, often neglected by scholars, as the city was being appropriated by others while the indigenous residents were not seriously considered as potential agents of change. The last theme to be reviewed will be the hitherto ignored sources and non-English narratives. I will show how the former can be crucial in rewriting and rediscovering the history of the city and its inhabitants, and how the interpolation of narratives produced in different languages can substantially alter our understanding of the city and its dynamics. Additionally, a second overall objective of this article is to recall attention to a historical period that was at risk of being erased by competing historical narratives. While discussing these themes, it will also be possible to present an overview of the current literature suggesting avenues for new lines of research, as well as pointing at possible criticisms of this literature.