Salim Tamari articles

The two articles I chose was "Lepers, Lunatics, and Saints," and "Ishaq Shami and the Arab Jew." The first article follows the uncredited work of Tawfiq Canaan's enthographic study of the Palestinian people, pre-Islamic times; more notably, of peasant culture, which has been uncorrupted by western colonialism and modernization. I must admit, I've read this article through more than once and I did not understand the significance of this article. More so, I did not understand how his discussion on Songs of Solomon, saints and their relation to madmen related. Was it to show that the nativist Palestinian cultures are separate from other cultures(Jewish?) in the area or just the opposite?

I found the last article rather interesting. The article surrounds the story of Ishaq Shami and the dissenting identity of being an Arab Jew. I found it rather interesting that there are different cultures and languages within the Jews and how it is a struggle to be apart from the majority. Ishaq Shami was a Jew who did not write about Jewish elements, rather wrote about the surroundings of where he grew up. Even though he was a Jew, his writings were not particularly accepted. I also thought the brief discussion of what the Zionist movement meant to Arab and Sephardic Jews. I didn't seem like returning to Jerusalem was such as an importance to them. That was rather different to hear, because based on what we have been reading, all Jews have been clumped together as one. Some might have felt their return Jerusalem as returning home, where else others expressed that it was simply just like moving to another state. This article has made me curious about different groups beyond just Jews and Palestinians.

Questions
- What are the cultural differences within the area other than the obvious?
- How has your studies affected the way you view the Israeli government?
- As a sociologist, how has being an Israeli or Palestinian affected the lives of people in Israel and Palestine?