Arab Christians in British Mandate Palestine: Communalism and Nationalism, 1917-1948

This title shows how Arab Christians struggled to balance religious and nationalist identities in Palestine between 1917 and 1948. Noah Haiduc-Dale focuses on the relationship between Arab Christians and the nationalist movement in Palestine as the British Mandate unfolded throughout the first half of the 20th century. Evidence of individual behaviours and beliefs, as well as those of Christian organisations (both religious and social in nature), challenges the prevailing assumption that Arab Christians were prone to communalism. Instead, they were as likely as their Muslim compatriots to support nationalism. When social pressure led Christians to identify along communal lines, they did so in conjunction with a stronger dedication to nationalism. It tracks the history of Palestine’s Arab Christians and their relationship to Palestinian nationalism. It challenges the standard historiography of communalism which suggests communal identification is always in opposition to nationalist identification. It refuses to stereotype Arab Christian behaviour and belief based on the actions of a few individuals – instead looks at the variety of Christian activity during the mandate.

Reviews of Arab Christians in British Mandate Palestine: Communalism and Nationalism, 1917-1948

"In recent years, several excellent monographs have been published by historians of the interwar Levant, and 'Arab Christians in British Mandate Palestine' by Noah Haiduc-Dale is a nuanced and engaging addition to this field."–Lauren Banko, SOAS, 'New Middle Eastern Studies''Haiduc-Dale's well-researched study, based on his dissertation for New York University, is a valuable addition to the scholarly literature on Palestine and on Christians in the Middle East.' – Ann Mosely Lesch, American Historical Review 'Haiduc-Dale offers a chronological history of Palestinian politics that focuses on the particular role in each stage of Christians, whose narratives have often been marginalized or essentialized. In the process, he offers a comprehensive and easy to follow guide to key landmarks in the development of the Palestinian national movement more generally.' – Liora R. Halperin, International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 'Published in these times when the fates of Arab Christians and other minorities are at stake in the Middle East, this book is an important contribution to our understanding of the history of Christian communities in Mandate Palestine and in the Middle East in general.' — George Emile Irani, Journal of Palestine Studies