Asher Kaufman

For the last nine years, I have been engaged in several research projects, all related to the modern history of Lebanon, Syria and Israel. My book Reviving Phoenicia (I.B. Tauris, 2004) discusses the social, political and intellectual roots of the Phoenician myth of origin in modern Lebanon. In it I examine the birth and evolution of this myth from the middle of the 19th century to the late 20th century. The second research theme I am engaged in is a study of social processes of silence, memory and forgetfulness as they relate to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. I was a member of an international group of scholars that researched social silence in the context of 20th century wars. This project is culminating in a forthcoming book entitled Shadows of War: The Social History of Silence in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2009) edited by Jay Winter, Efrat Ben Zeev and Ruth Ginio.The third research theme, which brings me to the Woodrow Wilson Center, deals with border dynamics between Syria, Lebanon and Israel. I have published several articles on the historical roots of border conflicts and dynamics between the three states and on prospects of resolving these disputes. "Contested Frontiers" is the culmination of this work. This book, that I am currently writing, will bring together my interests in the colonial legacy of the Middle East, group identities -- be they ideological or spatial, and the place of Israel in the Middle East.

 

Education

B.A., Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; M.A., Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Ph.D., Middle Eastern Studies, Brandeis University

 

Experience

Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

Research Fellow, The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Young Truman Post-Doctorate Fellow, The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

 

Expertise

Middle East