Teaching Jerusalem

In this solo episode I am discussing the question of teaching Jerusalem. While the bookshelves of countless libraries around the world host at least a book on Jerusalem, a superficial browsing of classes taught about the city’s history reveals a different picture. Writing and publishing material about Jerusalem is as easy as it gets, but to teach about it, it is a completely different story. Given the long history of the city, the possibility to discuss many historical periods, ethnic and religious groups, politics, diplomacy, religion, eschatology, cuisine, art and even medicine, it is quite puzzling that not many scholars have offered in the past and are offering in the present courses making Jerusalem their centre. Is it a pedagogical question? How to structure a course on such a monumental history? Or is it a political issue: the fear of delving into a divisive and complex topic? Whatever the answer, the problem is that lack of teaching equals to great ignorance about the city, its history and its people, but more importantly it fuels the perpetuation of old stereotypes and the creation of new ones.

Originally published on 03/22/2023

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