Nubar Hovsepian. Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity.

PositionBook review

Nubar Hovsepian. Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity. Newcastle, UK, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008, 265 pages Hardcover. $52.99.

This book is a significant contribution to the investigation of the role of education in the formation of the Palestinian state. Education frames the Palestinians' identity which in turn affects how they relate to their state. Education gives the Palestinian authority the opportunity to develop its institutional capacity. It contributes to economic development, and, most importantly, through education, the parameters of identity are transformed to serve the peace process and meet statebuilding requirements. However, the study does not claim that the Palestinian national identity is constructed solely through the agency of education, but education plays a significant role in the production of national identity.

Hovsepian first discusses the core problems of the Palestinian state formation. The new Palestinian authority assumed two contradictory functions; that of state-building and resistance. Does the system promote a resistance identity or a state-building legitimizing identity? Hovsepian also examines how international institutions shape Palestinian development and education strategies. International institutions such as the World Bank disseminate information that has a direct bearing on which options are adopted by governments and which educational priorities are selected.

The bulk of the research assesses the Palestinian...

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