Conference brings Israeli, Palestinian scholars to Columbus

COLUMBUS -- Jerusalem: Cultures and Communities in Contention will be the subject of a conference held Nov. 27-28 at The Ohio State University's Mershon Center for International Security Studies.

The working meeting brings together two Israeli and two Palestinian scholars to complete a manuscript begun in the 1990s. Participants will review, critique and revise essays on cultural identities and practices in Jerusalem in light of events over the past decade.

The essays were written under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution's Jerusalem Project. Two colleagues from the Smithsonian will join the working group.

The publication will make a significant and timely contribution to questions that arise at the intersection of international security and cultural identity in disputed territories.

Besides the working sessions, Jerusalem Project participants will present two public forums on Monday, Nov. 27 , at the Mershon Center, 1501 Neil Ave:

• 12-1:30 p.m., "Dualing Jerusalems," in an introduction by James Early, Director of Cultural Policy, Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
• 6-8 p.m., "Jerusalem's Shifting Identities," with an introduction by Jacqueline Jones Royster, Executive Dean, Ohio State Colleges of the Arts and Sciences.

Presenters include

• Salim Tamari, Professor of Sociology at Bir Zeit University in Palestine.
• Galit Hasan-Rokem, Professor of Folklore and Hebrew Literature at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
• Issam Nassar, Assistant Professor of Middle East History at Illinois State University, formerly on the faculty at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem.
• Menachem Klein, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.
• Amy Horowitz, research associate and scholar of folklore and music at Ohio State's Melton Center for Jewish Studies and Mershon Center for International Security Studies.

More information about the conference, including participant biographies, sponsors, and how to RSVP for the public forums, is available on the conference website at http://mershoncenter.osu.edu/events/november/jerusalemconference.htm

About the Mershon Center for International Security Studies
The Mershon Center for International Security Studies advances the understanding of national security in a global context by fostering interdisciplinary faculty and student research in three areas of focus: the use of force and diplomacy; the ideas, identities, and decisional processes that affect security; and the institutions that manage violent conflict. The Mershon Center is a unit of the Office of International Affairs at The Ohio State University.

Salim Tamari
Professor of Sociology
Bir Zeit University, Palestine

Galit Hasan-Rokem
Professor of Folklore and Hebrew Literature
Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Issam Nasser
Assistant Professor of Middle East History
Illinois State University

Menachem Klein
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Bar-Ilan University, Israel

Amy Horowitz
Melton Center for Jewish Studies, Mershon Center for International Security Studies
The Ohio State University