qntmfred retired 40783 Posts user info edit post |
on that point, i read Nur Masalha's book Palestine: A Four Thousand Year History earlier this year as well. the author definitely had some clear bias but the historical accounting itself was really interesting and helpful to understand the trajectory of the region, especially chapter 9+ as we got more into how the Ottoman Empire interacted with the region in the 19th century and how the various stakeholders in the region reacted as the Ottoman empire faded and collapsed.
like i've said multiple times, if there's something i'm missing on this topic, i genuinely do want to understand it. I have no interest in blockading myself in a fortress of my priors. A few years back I used to be much more on the pro-palestinian side. although frankly looking back I was pretty uninformed on the topic outside of the drip of current affairs over the last couple decades. I had tended to far more prefer to spend my time learning about the future (eg technology and science) rather than the past (fallen empires and religion).
after oct 7, I dug into the history a lot more. lots of books and documentaries and youtube and podcasts, but I really enjoyed just being able to engage my curiosity directly and ask chatgpt my questions as I explored the topic. 11/15/2024 10:49:41 AM |