Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity

279 Pages·2008·1.498 MB·English

by  Nubar Hovsepian

Palestinian State Formation

Palestinian State Formation:
Education and the Construction
of National Identity

By

Nubar Hovsepian

Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity, by Nubar Hovsepian

This book first published 2008 by

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

15 Angerton Gardens, Newcastle, NE5 2JA, UK

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Copyright © 2008 by Nubar Hovsepian

All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN (10): 1-84718-568-1, ISBN (13): 9781847185686
TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables............................................................................................viii

Acknowledgements....................................................................................ix

Chapter 1. Introduction and Summary of Findings...............................1
State Building Undermines Resistance........................................3
State Formation, Education, and Rentierism................................5
Imagining Alternatives in Normal Times.....................................6
Outline of the Book .....................................................................9

Chapter 2. Theoretical Perspectives: State Formation and Education ..11
Education and the Social Sciences..............................................12
International Organizations and Education.................................14
An Alternative Mode of Analysis: State Formation
and Education..............................................................................17
The Palestinian National Authority and the Construction
of Identity....................................................................................20
State Formation: Rentierism and The Limited State................. 27

Chapter 3. The Paradoxes of Palestinian State Formation:
Undertaking State-Building While Still Leading Resistance...............31
Palestinian Identity and the Historical Quest for Statehood........33
Historical Roots of Palestinian National Identity..........34
Rebirth of the Palestinian National Movement:
1964-68.........................................................................36
Critical Conjuncture: 1973-74 and Beyond..................40
The Intifada and State Building....................................43
The Formation of the Palestinian Authority................................47
Political Legitimacy and the Decentering of Politics....48
Institution Building and the Expansion of the Public
Sector............................................................................53
al-Aqsa Intifada, the Weakening of the Palestinian Authority,
and Economic Reforms...............................................................57
vi Table of Contents

Chapter 4. Political Rent and Palestinian Development .....................64
The Politics of International Assistance......................................68
Institutional Structures for Donor Assistance
and Coordination...........................................................70
Political Rent and the Security Imperative....................72
Palestinian Development Priorities in the Context
of New International Paradigms..................................................76
The Comprehensive Development Framework.............78
Palestinian Development Strategies..............................83

Chapter 5. The Colonial Legacy: Inadequate Funding, Deficient
Materials, Weak Instruction, Inappropriate Curriculum...................92
The Colonial Legacy of the Palestinian Education System.........94
The Educational Environment: Before the PA............................99
Basic Educational Demographic Indicators................100
Education Without Quality: The Impact
of the Intifada..............................................................105
In the Moment of Enthusiasm: New Pedagogies........114

Chapter 6. The Institutionalization of Education Under the PA......120
Education in Palestinian Hands: Objectives and Structures......122
Pre-University Education and Training: Profile,
Objectives and Priorities.............................................122
The Tertiary Sector: Colleges and Universities..........126
Structure and Leadership of the MOE........................129
Education and Palestinian Development Priorities...................133
The Formulation of Educational Plans: The Process..135
Educational Priorities and Reforms: 1994-2000........139
Access and Equity......................................................143
Quality of Education..................................................147
Political Rent and the Financial Challenge: “It’s the Money
Stupid!”.......................................................................150
Persisting Problems and Conclusions........................................154

Chapter 7. The Palestinian Curriculum: The Struggle Over/For
Identity...................................................................................................157
Redefining Palestinian Identity: The New Affiliative Order.....159
The Foundations of the New Palestinian Curriculum...............161
Proposal for Radical Reform: The Abu-Lughod Plan.164
The Abu-Lughod Recommendations..........................166
Institutionalization of the Abu-Lughod Plan.............................171
Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction vii
of National Identity
The New and Contested Affiliative Order as Reflected
in National Education Texts......................................................175
The Nation in History.................................................177
The Geography of the Nation......................................181
The State: Sovereignty, Citizenship, and Symbols.....184

Notes........................................................................................................189

Appendices
A. Organizational Chart-Palestinian Curriculum Development
Center........................................................................................223
B. Maps as a Problem................................................................225

Bibliography............................................................................................227

Index........................................................................................................255
LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1 Indicators of Public Discontent.................................................57
Table 3.2 Indicators of Public Discontent 2001-2003...............................61

Table 4.1 Total Donor loans and Grants: 1994-2000................................69
Table 4.2 Comparing Infrastructure Services in the WBGS
(Data for 1992-94).....................................................................................70
Table 4.3 Comparison of Palestinian Investment Priorities with Actual
Donor Disbursements (1994-2000)...........................................................85
Table 4.4 Palestine’s Principal Trading Partners Exports and Imports,
1998 (value in USD ‘000s)........................................................................89

Table 5.1 Global Distribution of Palestinian Population (1986,
1990/91, 1995 and 2002).........................................................................100
Table 5.2 School Enrollment Rates by Age, Sex, and Region
(1994-95).................................................................................................102
Table 5.3 Projected School Enrollments for West Bank and Gaza
1995-2020 (in thousands)........................................................................103
Table 5.4 Number of Students in Schools and Kindergartens
in the Palestinian Territory 1994 to 2003................................................104
Table 5.5 Matriculating Students Divided by Discipline, 1969-1977.....107

Table 6.1 Goals and Objectives of the MOE Five Year Plan:
2000/01 to 2004/05..................................................................................141
Table 6.2 Gross Enrollment Rates and Gender Breakdown
1997/98 to 1999/2000, Projections for 2000/01 to 2004/5......................144

Table 7.1 Selected Attributes of the Palestinian Affiliative Order..........160
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many colleagues and friends in the United States and abroad supported
me as I researched and wrote this book. I received much guidance and
advice from a long list of people. Their collective input and advice has
made the manuscript stronger. I am fully responsible for the arguments
made here, as well as for whatever errors which remain. The shortcomings
of the text are mine alone. I owe a lot to many.
The completion of a book does not bring closure, rather it occasions a
new beginning that is informed by the past. I could not have reached this
stage without accumulating many debts to my family, my advisors, and
my interlocutors. My children, Lara (17) and Rami (14) have been coping
with “Pappy’s book” for most of their lives. Amal (which means hope in
Arabic), my wife, took on added responsibilities in our household to give
me the time to write. Her unconditional love gave me courage and hope to
persevere with this project. We are done with this project. My Mother,
who lives in Seattle, has supported me over the years when our family
finances were precarious. I was the beneficiary of the Jenny Hovsepian
special scholarship fund which doles out unconditional love.
I am indebted to the members of my Ph.D. committee in Political
Science at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. My
interest in Palestinian education emerged from my development related
work. It did not occur to me to extract a dissertation topic out of my field
experience. I would like to thank Professor Kodjoe for inviting me to
extract a research topic from my field work and social commitments. My
dissertation committee deserves my gratitude. They invited me to engage
them in an intellectual conversation.
Professor Markovitz (Lenny) has been involved with my graduate
studies for a long time. He chaired my comprehensive exam committee,
nudged me to craft a dissertation proposal, and invited me to think for
myself. More than once, I almost gave up on my graduate studies, but
Lenny would not allow me. He gently nudged me along. He nurtured me
intellectually, and showed much care for me and my family. The extent of
my appreciation and gratitude cannot be captured in words. Professor
Erickson (Ken) served as the Reader of my dissertation. He challenged me
to think through my data and arguments. He saw things that escaped me.
He read each draft with incredible care, and offered valuable suggestions.
x Acknowledgments

He nudged me to think comparatively, and to think clearly, and at times to
rethink. His feedback helped transform the manuscript into a dissertation
and a book. When I was unsure on how I should proceed, Ken cheerfully
enabled me to regain my bearings. In addition to my gratitude, the only
way I can repay him is by nurturing my students the way he nurtured me.
The list of individuals who commented on or aided this project is long,
and I am sure I will miss some names. I express my sincere thanks to:
Ervand Abrahamian, Hanan Ashrawi, Bill Ayers, Munir Fasheh, Irene
Gendzier, Ali Jirbawi, Tafida Jirbawi, Rashid Khalidi, Fouad Moughrabi,
Abla Nasser, Hanna Nasser, Stuart Schaar and Bob Vitalis.
Parts of this book were presented at conferences and seminars. The
International Seminar of the University of Pennsylvania graduate school of
education provided me with the first venue to present a synopsis of the
manuscript’s overall argument. A revised and shortened version of
Chapter 4 was presented at the Middle East Studies Association (2005) at
the invitation of Sara Roy. Osama Abi-Mershed invited me to present
Chapter 7 at Georgetown University, and the Georgetown School of
Foreign Service in Qatar (2006 and 2007), and in this connection I
benefited from the capable editorial assistance of Victoria Zyp.
I secured a course reduction (Spring 2008) from Chapman University,
my home base, which gave me much needed time to complete this book. I
owe thanks to Lori Han, Roberta Lessor, and my long time friend and
comrade Don Will. In addition, Nadia Arriaga and Jennifer Hunnewell
managed to find solutions for my problems with formatting.
Working with Cambridge Scholars Publishing has been delightful.
They put up with my delays, and responsed to my requests for assistance
with enthusiasm. I owe thanks to Carol Koulikourdi and Amanda Millar.
Despite some of my harsh conclusions, I admire and respect many
Palestinians who are engaged in building a state under great adversity. In
particular I am indebted to my friend Khalil Mahshi, who was my most
trusted interlocutor with the MOE. He migrated to Paris in 2002 to escape
the turbulence of life under occupation, and to give his family the
opportunity to experience a quieter and more normal life. Ibrahim Abu-
Lughod, a key player in the Palestinian education story, and a dear friend,
died on 23 May 2001. My dear friend Edward W. Said lost his battle with
leukemia on 25 September 2003. In and through his life, Edward insisted
that we must persist in speaking truth to power. I regret that I will be
unable to share with them my findings. I dedicate this book to both
Ibrahim and Edward.