The People of Palestine: An Enlarged Edition of The Peasantry of Palestine, Life, Manners and Customs of the Village

by Elihu Grant

Part travelogue, part ethnography, this volume recounts the experiences of the author in Palestine under Turkish rule. Grant lived in the village of Ramallah for several years, directed the excavations at Beth Shemesh, and taught in Baghdad. His knowledge of ancient Near Eastern history, the Bible, and archaeology all intersect with his firsthand experiences of Palestinian villagers. He provides vivid descriptions of the landscape, village life, buildings and tools, and social customs. Enhancing his presentation are over forty photographic plates. The go-between, or wasit, is a familiar figure in business matters. A merchant from Nazareth explained to me the popularity of this intermediary "If there are two men, each wanting something of the other and neither wishing to express his whole mind before the other has done so, they can avoid the difficulty by employing a third person to whom each [unburdens himself] freely, and this third person, possessing the secrets of both, knows how to approach either one with the business of the other" (Job 9:33; Galatians 3:19; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) -from Chapter 6

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

Reviews

[Rhuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my "subversion" of Goodreads' corporate mission, here's another past-blaster you won't find in the big box outlet. This is the enlarged 1921 edition of "The People of Palestine," a reissue of "The Peasantry of Palestine" written in 1907 by the Rev. Elihu Grant, of the American Friends Mission School in Ramallah ("Ram Allah") and Jerusalem.

Both cover the same ground: the economic, cultural, religious, and family life of the Arabs of Turkish (subsequently mandate) Palestine. There was no doubt then of Palestine's existence or that of its people. Contrary to stereotype, Christian Arabs (Eastern Orthodox) were still an important presence. This influence gave American Protestant missionaries like Grant entry into Palestinian life.

Post-WW I politics are only sparingly touched on in this expanded 1921 edition. Grant seems more worried by the rise of Arab nationalism than the presence of Zionism: likely because the latter had yet to make a significant impact. He had no comprehension of the catastrophe lurking to overwhelm, in a quarter-century, the people whose lives he recorded; certainly of the genocidal grief blasting away their descendants a century later.

The kind of empathetic treatment Grant gave his subjects would, sadly, be controversial today. There is no imaging Palestine's people through the lens of terrorism, or Islamic fundamentalism, or any of the modern props employed to justify occupation and repression. I will go so far to say that no one - and I mean every "policy analyst," "intelligence officer," and "military expert" - has no business mouthing anything about Palestine unless he's opened this book.

[Lailatun Nadhirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sebulan menelaah. Kepuasan yang tak tergambar.

"We thought that Palestine had passed into ancient history, but it has been a center of modern events. No country in the world has a more continuously interesting and profitable story. Its present population is made of sturdy and able people. Three great religions call it Holy Land. It presents to view of three distinct types of human society, the desert nomad who dwells in the tented encampment, the peasant villager who reminds us in so many ways of the people of the Bible, and the more foreign-looking and mingled folk of the large cities."

Buku yang diterbitkan pada tahun 1907. Orang Inggeris sendiri yang tulis kehidupan penduduk Palestin.