Facts on the Ground

By Nadia Abu El-Haj,

Book cover of Facts on the Ground: Archaeological Practice and Territorial Self-Fashioning in Israeli Society

Book description

Archaeology in Israel is truly a national obsession, a practice through which national identity-and national rights-have long been asserted. But how and why did archaeology emerge as such a pervasive force there? How can the practices of archaeology help answer those questions? In this stirring book, Nadia Abu El-Haj addresses…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Facts on the Ground as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The Israeli narrative is particularly strong among Christain and Jewish communities due to a tale full of fabrications that stretches back to ancient times. This methodical and erudite research exposes the role of archeology in providing "scientific" scaffolding for that tale. 


From Ilan's list on understanding modern Palestine.

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