Overview
This masterly new work spans an entire epoch in the history of the contemporary Palestinian national movement, from the establishment of Israel in mandate Palestine in 1948, to the PLO-Israel accord of 1993. Contrary to the conventional view that national liberation movements proceed with state-building only after attaining independence, the case of the PLO shows that state-building may shape political institutionalization throughout the previous struggle, even in the absence of an autonomous territorial, economic, and social base. That is the central argument of this insightful study, which traces the political, ideological, and organizational evolution of the PLO and its constituent guerrilla groups. Taking the much-vaunted 'armed struggle' as its connecting theme, it shows how conflict was used to mobilize the mass constituency, assert particular discourses of revolution and nationalism, construct statist institutions, and establish the legitimacy of a new political class and bureaucratic elite. The book draws extensively on PLO archives, official publications and internal documents of the various guerilla groups, and over 400 interviews conducted by the author with the PLO rank-and-file. Its span, primary sources, and conceptual framework make this the definitive work on the subject.
Full Product Details
Author: Yezid Sayigh (Assistant Director of Studies, Centre of International Studies, Assistant Director of Studies, Centre of International Studies, University of Cambridge)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Clarendon Press
Dimensions:
Width: 16.60cm
, Height: 4.90cm
, Length: 24.20cm
Weight: 1.387kg
ISBN: 9780198292654
ISBN 10: 0198292651
Pages: 990
Publication Date: 11 December 1997
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
A younger Palestinian scholar, Yezid Sayigh, shows by contrast that the political narrative can be reconstructed. Sayigh's monumental new history of the Palestinian national movement, Armed Struggle and the Search for State does this in all its bewilderingly intricate detail. --Independent SaturdayMagazine. ..an achievement which will be with us long after hundreds of books on the subject are forgotten. --The Spectator
A younger Palestinian scholar, Yezid Sayigh, shows by contrast that the political narrative can be reconstructed. Sayigh's monumental new history of the Palestinian national movement, Armed Struggle and the Search for State does this in all its bewilderingly intricate detail. --Independent Saturday Magazine<br> .,. an achievement which will be with us long after hundreds of books on the subject are forgotten. --The Spectator<br>
