{"id":37841,"date":"2024-08-26T04:00:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=37841"},"modified":"2024-08-28T06:37:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T13:37:27","slug":"the-intersection-of-national-identity-and-transgenerational-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/the-intersection-of-national-identity-and-transgenerational-trauma\/","title":{"rendered":"The Intersection of National Identity and Collective Trauma"},"content":{"rendered":"

My Understanding of Israel
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict<\/em>, by Martin Bunton was a timely and informative read. As the Israeli-Hamas war continues, this short volume helped me understand the complexity of how two peoples came to be at violent odds with one another. Before reading this book, I knew Israel became a nation in 1948, continues to fight for the right to exist, and has become more secular. My ideas stem from the Bible, news reports, and from friends visiting the region. I did not understand the conflict in terms of the ever changing division of land and was surprised that 1897 is designated as the year the conflict began.[1]<\/a> I naively thought this conflict was primarily about religious differences and ancient boundaries. As the preface indicates the focus of the book is understanding, \u201c\u2026the stubborn core of conflict, the mutually exclusive territorial claims of two competing nationalisms, Palestinian and Israeli.\u201d[2]<\/a> The history of foreign intervention and governance makes this situation very complex. World markets, wars, capitalism, and faith play into it all. The economic shifts that Karl Polanyi recognized within the social history of the nineteenth century, as the commodification of land, labor, and money, has contributed in no small measure to the last 125-years of conflict in Palestine.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 The trauma and injustice experienced by both sides breaks my heart. The region and its people have experienced a long and devastating history of suffering. Will this conflict ever end? I’m holding hope.<\/p>\n

New Understanding: Nationalism, Identity, and Trauma<\/em><\/p>\n

While Bunton underscores the role nationalism plays in understanding the conflict, I’m also beginning to conceptualize it not only in terms of a fight for land, but for identity. It’s a messy and tragic combination with land providing the needed validation and the means of survival for two peoples longing for recognition, acceptance, and homeland. The conflict is a cry for belonging and security.<\/p>\n

In Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, <\/em>author Francis Fukuyama offered a succinct definition of nationalism, \u201cNationalism is a doctrine that political borders ought to correspond to cultural communities, with culture defined largely by shared language.\u201d[4]<\/a> With language the medium of story and history, nationalistic ideas can sound more like building walls instead of bridges and looking out for self-interest rather than loving one\u2019s neighbor. This feels threatening to me, especially when exclusion or harm to others is the end result. While I don’t condone violent attacks, I can understand what motivates nationalistic thinking when one considers all that has been lost on both sides. Fukuyama asserts, \u201cDemand for recognition of one\u2019s identity is a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in world politics today.\u201d[5]<\/a> Palestinians and Israeli\u2019s both seek this recognition. The demand for recognition is a powerful force that can blind us to the humanity and dignity of others, creating a power dynamic of \u201cus\u201d versus \u201cthem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fukuyama\u2019s definition of nationalism has me wondering about other shared experiences beyond language and nationalism. The Jewish and Palestinian people share similar traumatic histories of being ruled by foreign governments, oppression, displacement, loss of property and possessions, inadequate food and shelter, the struggle to maintain their own unique identity and culture, the common tragedies of war, and the loss of loved ones. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict represents the intersection of struggle for national identity and collective trauma. Both sides rightfully needing validation, understanding, and healing.<\/p>\n

My Navigation Tools: Listening and Hope
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

When I think of this conflict, I can\u2019t help but wonder about the individual stories of those living through these unbearably traumatic times. Stories matter. Listening to and validating the experiences of others is an impactful way to show love and compassion to our neighbor, which includes those who may be viewed as enemies. In his book The Identity Trap<\/em>, Yascha Mounk noted how the rejection of hope leads to the belief that, \u201c\u2026 members of different identity groups will never be able to understand one another.\u201d[6]<\/a> This is tragic. Sharing stories and listening to understand breaks down the barriers between us. To borrow from Parker Palmer, “… the more we know about another’s story, the harder it is to hate or harm that person.”[7] <\/a><\/p>\n

History has been shaped by nations at war, between people vying for land and the desire to provide for or protect themselves. We all want to feel safe. We all want a place to call home. What would it take to sit and listen to the stories of others? Can we recognize our common and worthy desires? Are we willing to work towards healing each other?<\/p>\n

Holding Hope<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m so glad God\u2019s story is one of restoration and reconciliation. We get to be part of the story. The world needs leaders who are willing to listen to understand and validate the stories of trauma, loss, and grief before and while seeking solutions to complex problems.<\/p>\n

This is the promise upon which my hope rests,<\/p>\n

“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4<\/p>\n

Lord, teach us your ways. Let us walk in your light, loving our neighbor, holding space for stories of pain and trauma, as we continue to pray for the reconciliation of all humanity to yourself and to one another.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Martin Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction <\/em>(Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2013), 2.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Bunton, The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict<\/em>, xvi.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time <\/em>(Boston: Beacon Press, 1944, 1957, 2001), 257.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Francis Fukuyama, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment<\/em> (New York: Picador, 2018), 62.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Fukuyama, Identity, <\/em>xv.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time <\/em>(New York: Penguin Press, 2023), 135.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward the Undivided Life <\/em>(San Francisco, CA, 2004), 123.<\/p>\n

Note: The following article was helpful in understanding collective trauma. https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6095989\/<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Understanding of Israel The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, by Martin Bunton was a timely and informative read. As the Israeli-Hamas war continues, this short volume helped me understand the complexity of how two peoples came to be at violent odds with one another. Before reading this book, I knew Israel became a nation in 1948, continues […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2489,3222],"class_list":["post-37841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-bunton","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37841"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37986,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37841\/revisions\/37986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}