The Art of Language

I thought it was cool that we got to read Nora's paper as a part of the class, to know more about someone that has learned from Professor Horrowitz just as we do. I was thoroughly impressed with the concepts she outlined when confronting the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Most particularly, her interest in the reframing of homeland and the notion of "the other" as central to the conflict.

The first definition that she gave as a background was particularly appealing to me, in a sense that I had never really thought about it. She is quoting Benedict Anderson who defines "a nation is an imagined political community" An "imagined" political community? I feel like if more people heard this definition, they would be more open to having a broader appreciation outside their own political realm. If the public of many nations realized this "imaginary" sense, I feel as though they would think they had opportunity to more greatly affect the community.

Here notion of the inside vs outside is one of prominence in this conflict, and it goes hand in hand with the idea of the "other" and the definition of homeland. Social Constructions have forced humans into a continuous competitive mindset, always wanting to be part of something better, and always having an enemy to beat. The idea that every group needs to have a counter part is pretty disappointing, when in reality, we are all the other. This need for competition is what pushes us to find what is ours, what belongs to us, a home. When in a search for this home while "the other" is doing the same, it can only lead to conflict. That is why I think that is we were to re-establish what is a homeland, so that can incompass not just those that are similar to you culturally, but bound to all for hope that they too find a homeland.