Enzo Traverso, Gaza in Historical Perspective: Toward a History of Urgency and Motion.

Abstract

“Never Stop Talking About Palestine!” This slogan is commonly encountered across social media networks and digital platforms. Following this logic, both activists and scholars have undertaken efforts to study, analyze, and disseminate knowledge about the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. Enzo Traverso joins this trend with Gaza Faces History, which he himself describes as “notes written in great haste,” yet notes imbued with a profound sense of urgency.

Gaza Faces History follows a conventional structure for a work of this nature. It is divided into eight chapters, organized in such a way as to address several key issues surrounding the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. These range from the meanings and implications of anti-Zionism and antisemitism, to the dilemma of constructing Orientalism, the circulation of fake news in an era increasingly shaped by the search for narratives that appeal to emotions, and, of course, the relationship between the resistance of the Palestinian people, violence, and terrorism.