Masters of Peace
Masters of Peace is a book series edited by the University of Innsbruck s UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies. It has been founded to honour outstanding works of young academics in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. It is reserved for selected Master theses of the Innsbruck school and published twice a year. The Innsbruck school follows the principles of Transrational Peace Philosophy. It defines peace as a plural and regards all aspects of human nature relevant for the understanding of peace and conflict. Its applied method is Elicitive Conflict Transformation, a pragmatic approach to conflict rooted in Humanistic Psychology that entrusts the responsibility for finding alternative options of behaviour, communication and encounter to the conflict parties. Facilitators provide a safe frame, tools and methods for this quest without imposing their own solutions on the parties. Edited by: Wolfgang Dietrich UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies University of Innsbruck/Austria Editorial Board: Josefi na Echavarría Daniela Ingruber Franz Jenewein Norbert Koppensteiner Fabian Mayr Andreas Oberprantacher Johney Xavier Austria Peace Studies Editorial work of current volume: Norbert Koppensteiner, Austria
Adham Hamed Speaking the Unspeakable Sounds of the Middle East Conflict
Adham Hamed Innsbruck, Austria ISSN 2364-463X Masters of Peace ISBN 978-3-658-14207-0 DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-14208-7 ISSN 2364-4648 (electronic) ISBN 978-3-658-14208-7 (ebook) Library of Congress Control Number: 2016939919 Springer Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH
For my beloved sisters
Foreword I first met Adham Hamed in a class I taught in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. What struck me first about Adham was his engaged intellect. His diverse background was also intriguing, combining an Austrian/Egyptian background, with one foot in Christian Europe, the other in the Islamic Middle East. His interest in Israel-Palestine was yet another curiosity. I noticed immediately that he felt the trauma of both Palestinians and Jews. I was confronted with a compassionate intellect that could carry on the ever-difficult search for justice in our strifetorn world. I write this foreword as a Jewish partisan who believes that justice for Palestinians is a command of Jewish history, one that we are failing to obey. For a person of Adham s background to wade into the Israel-Palestine conundrum shows courage. It is, as well, a hope for a future that I will not experience, at least on the ground, in my lifetime. Yet in interacting with Adham and reading his words, one feels that future arriving. For this I am grateful. The Middle East Conflict is full of stories of trauma, pain and violence, within the geographical context of Israel-Palestine and beyond. This is where different truth systems meet and narratives clash. Its complexity and multi-layered quality can be frustrating and in our analysis it can sometimes be easy to lose orientation in the midst of this complexity. Adham Hamed has written a remarkable book that looks upon this conflict, not from a birds-eye perspective, but systemically from within this complexity. This book offers a valuable orientation to anyone searching to understand this complexity, which has been fueled by many rounds of war, failed diplomacy, and time and again by the violent act of uprooting people often by those who themselves have painful histories of collective trauma. Many books have been written about this conflict, yet this one is unique as it is the first that applies Wolfgang Dietrich s conflict transformation model of Elicitive Conflict Mapping to this context. The reader will find a structured conflict analysis, in which the casual relationship between the episode of conflict and the so-called epicenter are explored layer by layer and level by level. This work sets an example for innovative conflict research in the 21 st century and gives us orientation without falling into the trap of simplifying complex realities. Traveling to Israel-Palestine and Egypt in an attempt to see what conflict transformation between Jews, Palestinians and other Arabs might look like, Adham sees
VIII Foreword musical expression, in its diversity, as a way of communicating truths where words and politics fail. For Adham, music carries a potential for speaking unspeakable truths that exposes the non-territorial layers and narratives of the conflict. Through music, a possible way forward is experienced. This is true for Israel-Palestine. It may be true for other parts of the world as well. This nexus between the regional context of the Middle East and peace philosophy at a meta-level makes this book a unique contribution to the current state of the art in Peace and Conflict Studies. Using case studies in Jerusalem and Cairo, he explores the rich and often disturbing texture of Israel-Palestine and the Middle East in general. Adham hits his stride when thinking through and outside of the various academic models with which he begins his study, as he discusses the state of the art in Peace and Conflict Studies. He argues convincingly that for the most part, these models lack the depth needed when trauma is widespread and suffering continues unabated. Due to the use of this new and innovative model of analyzing conflict, this study is of high value for our understanding of this region in particular, and the field of Peace and Conflict Studies in general. However, this study hardly hails from an academic ivory tower. During Adham s study, Israel invaded Gaza twice, Egypt experienced the Arab Spring then a reversion to dictatorship, and Syria imploded. While he interrogates Jews and Palestinians about their hopes and fears, Adham is aware of the larger regional collapse. Can music or any art-form deal effectively with this devolving political and military situation? In the end, Adham does not offer simple conclusions, but rather points towards the potential of sound as a means of conflict transformation and as a metaphor for a non-linear understanding of conflict. He is careful not to romanticize music, but points towards its potentials for dialogue and resistance. He suggests that understanding the qualities of harmony and dissonance might help identify new courses of action in violent conflicts. The cyclical nature of conflict transformation is central to Adham s argumentation. This insight sometimes leaves the reader uncertain and shows how conflict transformation can be tiring, as it can be easily confused with a sense of standing still. This book encourages the reader to resist the urge to give up, despite frustrations. Adham wrestles with the voices he has been given and with the voices he encounters, and succeeds by also including critical self-reflection. Hence, the most distinctive voice, the one searching at new levels, is Adham s. He has a story to tell from embodied experience as a resonating actor within the Middle East Conflict. The choice, therefore, to also recognize himself as a resource of knowledge production, never self-centered but always self-critical, is valid. Will Adham Hamed have the space, the safety and the courage to continue developing his own voice? Only time will tell. What I know and the reader will soon encounter in these pages is that a voice important for our common future, is on its way. May that voice be nurtured and amplified in the days ahead. Cape Canaveral, Florida, September 2015 Marc H. Ellis 1 1 Professor Marc H. Ellis is retired University Professor of Jewish Studies at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. He is currently visiting professor of several international universities, including the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
Contents 1 Introduction... 1 2 Author s Perspective and Primary Research Interest... 5 3 State of the Art... 11 4 The Transrational Model... 17 4.1 The Five Families of Peace and Primary Themes................ 18 4.2 LevelsofConflict... 22 4.3 LayersofConflict... 23 5 Elicitive Conflict Mapping... 27 5.1 The three Principles of Elicitive Conflict Transformation and the CareoftheSelf... 28 5.2 Mapping the Middle East Conflict............................ 34 5.2.1 Conflict Transposition and Conflict Transformation....... 36 5.2.2 My Entry Point: Clashing Narratives and Strong Truths.... 39 5.2.3 The Many Truths around Israel and Palestine............. 41 5.2.4 Mytruthsareweak... 45 6 Research Ethics: I Have No Morals!... 47 7 Music in Conflict Transformation... 53 7.1 ThePoliticalPotentialofMusic... 53 7.2 PerformedandRecordedMusic... 55 7.3 Vernacular Music: The Potential of the Here and Now............ 56 8 Further Research Interest... 61 9 Case Studies... 65 9.1 Where Strong Truths Crack: The Jerusalem Youth Chorus........ 65 9.1.1 Mental-Societal Disturbances: Ceci n est pas une Guitare!.. 67
X Contents 9.1.2 Imagining and Experiencing Home on the Social- CommunalLayers... 70 9.1.3 Sexual Energy: An Implicit Potential for Conflict Transformation... 75 9.1.4 Another Level of Dialogue: Vernacular Moments and SpiritualPotential... 76 9.1.5 Potentials, Limitations and Critique of the Jerusalem YouthChorus... 80 9.2 Songs Are The Soul s Language: Eskenderella.................. 82 9.2.1 Mental-Societal Potentials: Sounding the Charge for the EgyptianUprisingRevolution... 84 9.2.2 When Vernacular Potential Unfolds: Spirituality in the midst of Revolutionary Dynamics...................... 87 9.2.3 Hidden Messages: The Sexual Family-Layers............. 91 9.2.4 A Homogenous Group and Random Audiences: The Social-CommunalLayers... 92 9.2.5 Potentials, Limitations and Critique of Eskenderella....... 92 10 Conclusion... 95 List of References...103
List of Figures 4.1 TheTransrationalModel... 17 4.2 LevelsofConflict... 18