EP 80: A New Orient. From German Scholarship to Middle Eastern Studies in Israel

"A New Orient" explores the history of Zionist and Israeli Oriental
Studies, focusing on the transfer of knowledge about Islam, Arabic,
and the Middle East from German universities to Mandatory
Palestine. This migration involved scholars who arrived either as
Zionists or refugees from Nazi Germany, joining the Hebrew
University. The book traces how the field shifted from a
textual-philological approach in Germany to a direct, often tense,
encounter with the region's realities, shaped by the growing
Jewish-Arab conflict. Drawing on archival sources in multiple
languages, it highlights the Orientalists' roles beyond academia,
including efforts at Jewish-Arab dialogue and cooperation with
diplomatic and security bodies. This study sheds light on the
entanglement of scientific research with political, social, and
cultural dynamics in 20th-century Palestine and Israel, offering
fresh insights into the roots of the Jewish-Arab conflict and the
impact of academic knowledge on its development.