Contested Belonging: Druze Identity, Zionism, and the Struggle Over Historical Narrative
Book forum of Firro, Kais. 2019. Duruz fi Zaman “al-Ghafla" min al-Mih’rath al-Filastini 'iila al-Bunduqiye al-'Iisrayiyliye [Druze in the Time of "Inattention": From the Palestinian Plow to the Israeli Gun]. Beirut: al-Mu’asseh La’laderasat al-Falastiniye
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/druze.2.24636Keywords:
Druze identity, Zionist Historiography, Colonialism and Resistance, Sectarian Politics, Historical Narrative ConstructionAbstract
This forum presents five critical analyses of Dr. Kais Firro’s influential work Druze in the Time of Inattention, each offering a unique perspective on Druze identity, Zionist historiography, and the politics of representation. The contributors examine Firro’s archival methods, his portrayal of Druze resistance, and the broader effects of state-sponsored narratives that aim to disconnect minority communities from their Arab and Palestinian roots. From uncovering suppressed histories to challenging myths of assimilation, the essays explore how colonial and postcolonial strategies have influenced perceptions of the Druze as collaborators, outliers, or passive subjects. The forum also includes internal critiques of Firro’s work, questioning its treatment of Druze leadership, its contextual gaps, and its reliance on binary oppositions. Collectively, these contributions shed light on the complexity of Druze political agency, the enduring influence of sectarian stereotypes, and the importance of nuanced, historically grounded scholarship. In light of recent violence in Sweida and renewed accusations against Druze communities, this forum is both timely and urgent, providing a platform to rethink identity, resistance, and the ethics of historical writing within the contexts of Palestine and the broader Arab world.
يقدم هذا المنتدى خمسة تحليلات نقدية لعمل الدكتور قيس فرّو "الدروز في زمن الغفلة"، حيث يقدم كل منها منظورًا فريدًا حول الهوية الدرزية، والتأريخ الصهيوني، وسياسات التمثيل. يدرس المساهمون مناهج فرّو البحثيّة، وتصويره للمقاومة الدرزية، والآثار الأوسع للروايات التي ترعاها الدولة والتي تهدف إلى فصل الأقليات عن جذورها العربية والفلسطينية. من كشف التاريخ المكبوت إلى تحدي أساطير الاستيعاب، تستكشف المقالات كيف أثرت الاستراتيجيات الاستعمارية وما بعد الاستعمارية على تصوّرات الدروز كمتعاونين، أو متطرفين، أو فاعلين سلبيين. يتضمن المنتدى أيضًا انتقادات منهجيّة لعمل فرّو، متسائلة عن معالجته للقيادة الدرزية، وثغراته السياقية، واعتماده على التناقضات الثنائية. تُلقي هذه المساهمات مجتمعةً الضوء على تعقيد الفاعلية السياسية الدرزية، والتأثير المستمر للصور النمطية الطائفية، وأهمية البحث العلمي الدقيق والمستند إلى التاريخ. في ضوء أعمال العنف الأخيرة في السويداء والاتهامات المتجددة ضد المجتمعات الدرزية، يأتي هذا المنتدى في الوقت المناسب وعاجلًا، حيث يوفر منصة لإعادة التفكير في الهوية والمقاومة وأخلاقيات الكتابة التاريخية في سياقات فلسطين والعالم العربي الأوسع.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Said Abou Zaki , Mireille Rebeiz , Rabah Halabi , Nadia Naser-Najjab , Yusri Hazran
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Copyright is held by the author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
