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The horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7th 2023, the war in Gaza with its catastrophic humanitarian consequences, and the subsequent escalation of regional conflict have shaken university communities around the world. Students at the University of Zurich have repeatedly asked for possibilities to speak openly about the ongoing conflict and its repercussions.
The Department of History has therefore put together a series of events aimed at such open discussions on a complex and sensitive topic. With these events, we invite participants to an academic exchange on the basis of current historical research. As is customary at the University of Zurich, this discussion space should remain free of discrimination and violence. Nonetheless, the series aims to facilitate challenging conversations.
The series of events has been designed by a group of the Department of History's teaching staff. The Event Series is primarily aimed at students and staff of the University of Zurich, with a priority for students of the History Department.
The aim of this discussion is to think about the role of law and legal categorisation in the history and current nature of the conflict. What role have historical narratives played in the development of international law responses to the conflict? How can we think about the different kinds of legal standing in play, at both the international and national levels, and how have these been historically constructed?
In a divided land the use of resources is almost automatically contested. Some, such as certain agricultural products or water, moreover, have played important symbolic roles in nation-building or identity struggles in Israel and Palestine. This discussion will bring together scholars working on the history of agriculture, technology, multispecies worldmaking and economic structures in the region with the aim to set the current conflict in historical perspective. This includes questions of settler colonialism, and the formation of identities linked to the land, as well as hopes for shaping a shared future.
The series will be continued in spring 2025 with two more panels, on religious nationalisms and framings & prejudices.
