Nadim Khoury | Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (original) (raw)
Papers by Nadim Khoury
Leila Farsakh (ed.), Rethinking Statehood in Palestine: Self-Determination and Decolonization Beyond Partition, 2021
This chapter examines the significance of transitional justice in Palestine/Israel. Transitional ... more This chapter examines the significance of transitional justice in Palestine/Israel. Transitional justice is the process of dealing with past wrongs to shift towards a new democratic regime. While the concept has gained little attention in mainstream debates on Palestine/Israel, it touches upon crucial aspects to ending the conflict, such as dealing with historical injustices, decolonization, and the one-state / two-state solutions. The chapter makes two claims. First, it argues that transitional justice has gained appeal within the Palestinian camp to devise political alternatives to the Oslo peace process. In this case, it is a tool to counter the fragmentation of the Palestinian people, reckon with past wrongs, and provide venues for political reconciliation with Israeli Jews. Transitional justice, however, can further different political ends. This is the second argument. After examining the various ways in which transitional justice is discussed in Palestine/Israel, the chapter identifies deep disagreements on key issues, namely (i) what counts as a historical injustice; (ii) what mechanisms we should employ to deal with historical injustices; (iii) what are the goals we are transitioning to; and (iv) what is the nature of the transition. Disagreement over these issues means that transitional justice can serve different ends: to devise alternatives to the Oslo agreements, to justify measures that are in line with them, or even to negate Palestinian demands for a justice.
The chapter concludes with a precautionary note. In the context of Palestine/Israel, transitional justice is a deeply contested concept and its potential as a tool to devise real alternatives to the failed peace process depends on whether or not it is incorporated into a larger political project that seeks to establish equality and justice for all Palestinians.
Confluences Méditerranée, 2021
This article examines Israel’s relationship to Palestinian peoplehood before and after the peace ... more This article examines Israel’s relationship to Palestinian peoplehood before and after the peace process. It argues that this relationship was driven by a logic of elimination (1948-1967), which was later augmented by a logic of separation (1967-1993). With the peace process and the mutual letters of recognition in 1993, these logics did not disappear. Instead, they were expanded by a logic of constitution whereby Palestinian peoplehood was allowed to exist only through the ideological confines of the peace process. Constitution, the article concludes, perpetuated and transformed dynamics set up since 1948.
Philosophy & Social Criticism, 2020
At the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages a struggle between two foundational traged... more At the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages a struggle between two foundational tragedies: the Jewish Holocaust and the Palestinian Nakba. The contending ways in which both events are commemorated is a known feature of the conflict. Less known are marginal attempts to jointly deliberate on them. This article draws on such attempts to theorize a postnational conception of memory. Deliberating on the Holocaust and the Nakba, it argues, challenges the way nationalism structures 'our' and 'their' relationship to the past. While nationalism seeks the congruence of memory and territory, postnationalism challenges this congruence. Doing so entails (i) extending the communicative bounds of memory beyond national members, (ii) disrupting the territorialization of memory along national lines, and (iii) critically revising national narratives in light of a cosmopolitan memory. The article explores these three dimensions and offers a typology that differentiates the ways nationalism and postnationalism mediate our relationship to the past.
European Journal of International Relations, 2018
Identity is an important factor in international conflicts. As it is a crucial part of the proble... more Identity is an important factor in international conflicts. As it is a crucial part of the problem, some scholars argue, national identity should be an important part of the solution. Parties to the conflict, they recommend, should negotiate their national identities so as to reach a " narrative equilibrium " that will allow them to overcome national stereotypes, build trust, and sustain peaceful relations in the future. This article evaluates not the merits of these negotiations, but the tools that social scientists have employed to analyze them. Its main purpose, therefore, is methodological. It argues that attempts to theorize the negotiation of identity fall short of their goal because they focus heavily on the notion of negotiation and very little on the concept of identity. To remedy this shortcoming, the article turns to the structural theories of narrative to conceptualize the negotiation of identity as a negotiation of literary plots. It argues that the negotiation of identity is the attempt to move away from two mutually exclusive romantic plots, and toward tragic, comic, or satiric plots in counterpoint. The introduction of plots, the article concludes, provides important insights that help theorize the negotiation of identity in post-conflict scenarios.
Constellations, 2017
In this article, I offer a critique of our late-modern conception of reconciliation by contrastin... more In this article, I offer a critique of our late-modern conception of reconciliation by contrasting it with the way the concept figures in prior accounts, namely Christian, Kantian, Hegelian, and Marxist. What characterizes reconciliation today, I argue, is its resistance to grand narratives. This means that (i) it no longer subsumes conflicting stories into a universal history, (ii) it no longer seeks to explain or justify historical injustices, and (iii) it no longer provides a telos. In many cases, the resistance to grand narratives is justified, but entirely decoupling reconciliation from certain aspects of grand narratives is counterproductive. To do the kind of work reconciliation wants to do in our late-modern age, we should be aware of the dangers embedded within grand narratives, but also attuned to their potential; more specifically, their universal and teleological dimensions.
Nations and Nationalism , 2016
National narratives are an essential part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Little is said, ho... more National narratives are an essential part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Little is said, however, on how the Oslo Peace Process sought to address these narratives. Conventional wisdom argues that the peace process initiated in the 1990s largely ignored the matter. This article challenges this view, arguing instead that the peace process was and continues to be actively engaged in solving the narrative wars that divide Israelis and Palestinians. To shed light on these solutions, this article looks beyond the agreements of the Oslo Peace Process and focuses on the peacebuilding paradigms that informed it, more specifically, the national partition and the liberal peace paradigms. These prescribe two solutions to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict over history: narrative partition and evasion. In their implementation, the article concludes, these solutions imposed greater identity costs on the Palestinian narrative than on the Israeli one.
Teaching Documents by Nadim Khoury
Course description: Nationalism is one of the most powerful political ideas of our modern age. At... more Course description: Nationalism is one of the most powerful political ideas of our modern age. At most times, we encounter it as a " hot issue. " Nationalism makes the front pages, because national conflicts rage in many parts of the world, or nationalist parties are elected into office. When the issue is not at the forefront of politics, it lays dormant in the background, but any threat to national identity brings it back to life. In both cases, whether alive or dormant, hot or cold, the concept is largely taken for granted. We shed blood for the nation, we cheer for its sports teams, we praise its language and traditions, but we rarely question its existence. Nations are simply there, so it seems, a natural component of our political landscape. The goal of this course is to dig deeper into the concepts of nation and nationalism and ask: what is a nation? What constitutes the nationalist worldview? When did this worldview emerge? Have nations always existed, or are they dependent on specific economic, political, and cultural conditions? Should these conditions change, would the nation-state change accordingly? We will address these questions by focusing on readings from history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and anthropology.
Course description: This course introduces us to some of the foundational ideas in the history of... more Course description: This course introduces us to some of the foundational ideas in the history of political thought, and it seeks to develop the skills to critically assess these ideas and the place they occupy in our political discourse. The course will revolve around key themes: philosophy and politics, obedience and non-obedience, human nature, equality, and war. We will examine these themes through a variety of authors, such as This is a course in political philosophy, it will focus on abstract ideas and complex processes of argumentation. The goal of the class is to clarify these abstract ideas, and see how they are concretely at work in political debates, especially those that affect our contemporary Middle East.
These are some the questions that will guide us through the semester. The course is organized aro... more These are some the questions that will guide us through the semester. The course is organized around three historical periods: the period following World War I, the Cold War, and the end of the Cold War. We will conclude the class by looking at contemporary events such as the Obama Administration and the Arab Spring. While the organization of the class is historical, this is not a history class. Instead, it will take an interdisciplinary approach by reading the works of historians, political scientists, media scholars, and the works of the political actors themselves.
What does memory have to do with politics? Or to invert the question, what does politics have to ... more What does memory have to do with politics? Or to invert the question, what does politics have to do with memory? If we look at the political ideologies that have shaped the history of the 20 th century, one might not think much about the question. Both capitalism and communism-the two systems that have divided the world during the Cold warhave very little to do with the past. What mattered was what was done now to ensure the universal march towards universal communism/capitalism tomorrow. Modern politics, it seems, is imbued with a forward-looking ideology, it belongs to the domain of what can be done, rather than what cannot be undone. In the last two decades, however, there has been a resurgence of the past. Wherever one looks-in situations of war or peace, of democracy or autocracy-memory plays a crucial role the daily politics: states debate the building of memorials, countries contest the way they are depicted in textbooks, and nations ask for the acknowledgment of historical injustices. As William Faulkner rightly observed, "the past is never dead, it is not even past."
Book reviews by Nadim Khoury
GIULA Daniele, Women, Reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, London : Routledge, 20... more GIULA Daniele, Women, Reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, London : Routledge, 2014, 179 pp.
Music is universal" is a platitude that one often hears in situations of conflict-contexts where ... more Music is universal" is a platitude that one often hears in situations of conflict-contexts where messages of universal peace are crowded out by the roars of nationalism, war, and oppression. Supporting this cliché is the soundtrack of Western classical music, the harmonious sounds of the symphony orchestra that provides a model for human togetherness. It is this cliché and its soundtrack that Rachel Beckles Willson successfully deconstructs in Orientalism and Musical Mission: Palestine and the West. Whether one believes in the cliché or is tired of hearing it, one will find a great deal to learn in Beckles Willson's book.
Leila Farsakh (ed.), Rethinking Statehood in Palestine: Self-Determination and Decolonization Beyond Partition, 2021
This chapter examines the significance of transitional justice in Palestine/Israel. Transitional ... more This chapter examines the significance of transitional justice in Palestine/Israel. Transitional justice is the process of dealing with past wrongs to shift towards a new democratic regime. While the concept has gained little attention in mainstream debates on Palestine/Israel, it touches upon crucial aspects to ending the conflict, such as dealing with historical injustices, decolonization, and the one-state / two-state solutions. The chapter makes two claims. First, it argues that transitional justice has gained appeal within the Palestinian camp to devise political alternatives to the Oslo peace process. In this case, it is a tool to counter the fragmentation of the Palestinian people, reckon with past wrongs, and provide venues for political reconciliation with Israeli Jews. Transitional justice, however, can further different political ends. This is the second argument. After examining the various ways in which transitional justice is discussed in Palestine/Israel, the chapter identifies deep disagreements on key issues, namely (i) what counts as a historical injustice; (ii) what mechanisms we should employ to deal with historical injustices; (iii) what are the goals we are transitioning to; and (iv) what is the nature of the transition. Disagreement over these issues means that transitional justice can serve different ends: to devise alternatives to the Oslo agreements, to justify measures that are in line with them, or even to negate Palestinian demands for a justice.
The chapter concludes with a precautionary note. In the context of Palestine/Israel, transitional justice is a deeply contested concept and its potential as a tool to devise real alternatives to the failed peace process depends on whether or not it is incorporated into a larger political project that seeks to establish equality and justice for all Palestinians.
Confluences Méditerranée, 2021
This article examines Israel’s relationship to Palestinian peoplehood before and after the peace ... more This article examines Israel’s relationship to Palestinian peoplehood before and after the peace process. It argues that this relationship was driven by a logic of elimination (1948-1967), which was later augmented by a logic of separation (1967-1993). With the peace process and the mutual letters of recognition in 1993, these logics did not disappear. Instead, they were expanded by a logic of constitution whereby Palestinian peoplehood was allowed to exist only through the ideological confines of the peace process. Constitution, the article concludes, perpetuated and transformed dynamics set up since 1948.
Philosophy & Social Criticism, 2020
At the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages a struggle between two foundational traged... more At the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages a struggle between two foundational tragedies: the Jewish Holocaust and the Palestinian Nakba. The contending ways in which both events are commemorated is a known feature of the conflict. Less known are marginal attempts to jointly deliberate on them. This article draws on such attempts to theorize a postnational conception of memory. Deliberating on the Holocaust and the Nakba, it argues, challenges the way nationalism structures 'our' and 'their' relationship to the past. While nationalism seeks the congruence of memory and territory, postnationalism challenges this congruence. Doing so entails (i) extending the communicative bounds of memory beyond national members, (ii) disrupting the territorialization of memory along national lines, and (iii) critically revising national narratives in light of a cosmopolitan memory. The article explores these three dimensions and offers a typology that differentiates the ways nationalism and postnationalism mediate our relationship to the past.
European Journal of International Relations, 2018
Identity is an important factor in international conflicts. As it is a crucial part of the proble... more Identity is an important factor in international conflicts. As it is a crucial part of the problem, some scholars argue, national identity should be an important part of the solution. Parties to the conflict, they recommend, should negotiate their national identities so as to reach a " narrative equilibrium " that will allow them to overcome national stereotypes, build trust, and sustain peaceful relations in the future. This article evaluates not the merits of these negotiations, but the tools that social scientists have employed to analyze them. Its main purpose, therefore, is methodological. It argues that attempts to theorize the negotiation of identity fall short of their goal because they focus heavily on the notion of negotiation and very little on the concept of identity. To remedy this shortcoming, the article turns to the structural theories of narrative to conceptualize the negotiation of identity as a negotiation of literary plots. It argues that the negotiation of identity is the attempt to move away from two mutually exclusive romantic plots, and toward tragic, comic, or satiric plots in counterpoint. The introduction of plots, the article concludes, provides important insights that help theorize the negotiation of identity in post-conflict scenarios.
Constellations, 2017
In this article, I offer a critique of our late-modern conception of reconciliation by contrastin... more In this article, I offer a critique of our late-modern conception of reconciliation by contrasting it with the way the concept figures in prior accounts, namely Christian, Kantian, Hegelian, and Marxist. What characterizes reconciliation today, I argue, is its resistance to grand narratives. This means that (i) it no longer subsumes conflicting stories into a universal history, (ii) it no longer seeks to explain or justify historical injustices, and (iii) it no longer provides a telos. In many cases, the resistance to grand narratives is justified, but entirely decoupling reconciliation from certain aspects of grand narratives is counterproductive. To do the kind of work reconciliation wants to do in our late-modern age, we should be aware of the dangers embedded within grand narratives, but also attuned to their potential; more specifically, their universal and teleological dimensions.
Nations and Nationalism , 2016
National narratives are an essential part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Little is said, ho... more National narratives are an essential part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Little is said, however, on how the Oslo Peace Process sought to address these narratives. Conventional wisdom argues that the peace process initiated in the 1990s largely ignored the matter. This article challenges this view, arguing instead that the peace process was and continues to be actively engaged in solving the narrative wars that divide Israelis and Palestinians. To shed light on these solutions, this article looks beyond the agreements of the Oslo Peace Process and focuses on the peacebuilding paradigms that informed it, more specifically, the national partition and the liberal peace paradigms. These prescribe two solutions to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict over history: narrative partition and evasion. In their implementation, the article concludes, these solutions imposed greater identity costs on the Palestinian narrative than on the Israeli one.
Course description: Nationalism is one of the most powerful political ideas of our modern age. At... more Course description: Nationalism is one of the most powerful political ideas of our modern age. At most times, we encounter it as a " hot issue. " Nationalism makes the front pages, because national conflicts rage in many parts of the world, or nationalist parties are elected into office. When the issue is not at the forefront of politics, it lays dormant in the background, but any threat to national identity brings it back to life. In both cases, whether alive or dormant, hot or cold, the concept is largely taken for granted. We shed blood for the nation, we cheer for its sports teams, we praise its language and traditions, but we rarely question its existence. Nations are simply there, so it seems, a natural component of our political landscape. The goal of this course is to dig deeper into the concepts of nation and nationalism and ask: what is a nation? What constitutes the nationalist worldview? When did this worldview emerge? Have nations always existed, or are they dependent on specific economic, political, and cultural conditions? Should these conditions change, would the nation-state change accordingly? We will address these questions by focusing on readings from history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and anthropology.
Course description: This course introduces us to some of the foundational ideas in the history of... more Course description: This course introduces us to some of the foundational ideas in the history of political thought, and it seeks to develop the skills to critically assess these ideas and the place they occupy in our political discourse. The course will revolve around key themes: philosophy and politics, obedience and non-obedience, human nature, equality, and war. We will examine these themes through a variety of authors, such as This is a course in political philosophy, it will focus on abstract ideas and complex processes of argumentation. The goal of the class is to clarify these abstract ideas, and see how they are concretely at work in political debates, especially those that affect our contemporary Middle East.
These are some the questions that will guide us through the semester. The course is organized aro... more These are some the questions that will guide us through the semester. The course is organized around three historical periods: the period following World War I, the Cold War, and the end of the Cold War. We will conclude the class by looking at contemporary events such as the Obama Administration and the Arab Spring. While the organization of the class is historical, this is not a history class. Instead, it will take an interdisciplinary approach by reading the works of historians, political scientists, media scholars, and the works of the political actors themselves.
What does memory have to do with politics? Or to invert the question, what does politics have to ... more What does memory have to do with politics? Or to invert the question, what does politics have to do with memory? If we look at the political ideologies that have shaped the history of the 20 th century, one might not think much about the question. Both capitalism and communism-the two systems that have divided the world during the Cold warhave very little to do with the past. What mattered was what was done now to ensure the universal march towards universal communism/capitalism tomorrow. Modern politics, it seems, is imbued with a forward-looking ideology, it belongs to the domain of what can be done, rather than what cannot be undone. In the last two decades, however, there has been a resurgence of the past. Wherever one looks-in situations of war or peace, of democracy or autocracy-memory plays a crucial role the daily politics: states debate the building of memorials, countries contest the way they are depicted in textbooks, and nations ask for the acknowledgment of historical injustices. As William Faulkner rightly observed, "the past is never dead, it is not even past."
GIULA Daniele, Women, Reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, London : Routledge, 20... more GIULA Daniele, Women, Reconciliation and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, London : Routledge, 2014, 179 pp.
Music is universal" is a platitude that one often hears in situations of conflict-contexts where ... more Music is universal" is a platitude that one often hears in situations of conflict-contexts where messages of universal peace are crowded out by the roars of nationalism, war, and oppression. Supporting this cliché is the soundtrack of Western classical music, the harmonious sounds of the symphony orchestra that provides a model for human togetherness. It is this cliché and its soundtrack that Rachel Beckles Willson successfully deconstructs in Orientalism and Musical Mission: Palestine and the West. Whether one believes in the cliché or is tired of hearing it, one will find a great deal to learn in Beckles Willson's book.