Narrative and the Politics of Identity

<br>"With his energy, eloquence, and insight, Phillip Hammack is one of the most promising young scholars in the study of human development. It takes great courage and integrity to enter two of the most oppositional cultural milieus in the world and manage to maintain the confidence of both sides. This book is an unparalleled, invaluable account of the identities, motivations, struggles, and pain of Israeli and Palestinian youth." -- Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Clark University, and author of Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Throughthe Twenties <br><p><br>"Hammack's book is a risky undertaking that has been masterfully executed. The book carefully crosses disciplinary borders, helping us widen our understanding of social phenomena at the individual and group levels, and pays special attention to the intricate connections between individual psychology and social structure as these are mediated through action. Hammack is

<br>Philip L. Hammack, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz<br>

CONTENTS Preface PART 1. Orientations A Note on Geographic Terminology Prologue Chapter 1. Culture, Identity, and Story: A Framework for the Study of Lives I. Preliminary Provocations II. Capturing Culture III. Interrogating Identity IV. The Cultural Psychology of Identity V. Experimenting with Identity VI. The Cosmopolitan Ideal VII. Identity as Burden or Benefit? VIII. Politicizing Psychology, Psychologizing Politics IX. An Orientation Chapter 2. A "Stranger" in the Holy Land I. A Position II. A Personal Narrative III. Approaching the Study of Lives IV. The Politics of the Field V. Field Sites in Israel and Palestine Jerusalem Ramallah Qadas Beit Jala and Bethlehem Tulkarm and Nablus Tel Aviv Taybeh Haifa The Gilboa VI. Field Sites in the United States Seeds of Peace Hands of Peace VII. The Interviewees VIII. The Interview Procedure IX. Analytic Strategy PART 2. Stories Chapter 3. "Jewish in My Blood": Stories of Jewish Israeli Youth I. The Master Narrative of Jewish Israeli Identity An Introduction Contestations Theme 1: Persecution and Victimization Theme 2: Existential Insecurity Theme 3: Exceptionalism Theme 4: Delegitimization of Palestinian Identity Summary II. The Stories of Youth Yossi: The Ambivalent Pragmatist Noa: The Kibbutznik Roai: The Settler Ayelet: The Cosmopolitan III. Summary: The Cultural Psychology of Jewish Israeli Youth Chapter 4. "It's Not a Normal Life We Lead": Stories of Palestinian Youth I. The Master Narrative of Palestinian Identity An Introduction Contestations Theme 1: Loss and Dispossession Theme 2: Resistance Theme 3: Existential Insecurity Theme 4: Delegitimization of Israeli Identity Summary II. The Stories of Youth Ali: The Unlikely Islamist Adara: The Pious Villager Luca: The Christian Fighter Lubna: The Survivor III. Summary: The Cultural Psychology of Palestinian Youth Chapter 5. "I Had a War with Myself": Palestinian-Israeli Youth and the Narration of Hyphenated Identities I. The Master Narrative of Palestinian-Israeli Identity Theme 1: Discrimination and Subordination Theme 2: Hyphenation and