Verdery\'s Central Observations About Nationalism

Verdery's Central Observations About Nationalism as a Historical and Cultural Phenomenon

There is much controversy regarding the concept of nationalism, as it is responsible for uniting and dividing communities on account of their members' personal convictions. It is very difficult for some people to find their cultural identity and to accept their position in society without being influenced by individuals in their group. Individuals in the contemporary society have come to consider nationalism as one of the most important elements in their community, as it makes it possible for them to consider that they are strongly connected with their states. Katherine Verdery emphasizes the fact that people have diverse understandings of the concept of nationalism and the boundary between aggressive nationalism and peaceful nationalism can be very thin. Michelle U. Campos relates to the case of Palestinian Sephardi Jews at the beginning of the twentieth century and the troubles that they came across as they were trying to find their cultural identity without being negatively affected in the process.

The fact that many Palestinian Sephardi Jews identified with Palestinian territory and believed that it was essential for them to live in Israel damaged their position in the area and influenced other communities in wanting to persecute them. These Jewish people saw reform as an opportunity to strengthen their group and were determined to do everything in their power in order to emerge as Jews instead of being categorized as Ottoman citizens (Campos, 461).

Similar to many communities that experienced progress during the early twentieth century, Jewish individuals in the Middle East felt that it was essential for them to develop a sense of identity. These people virtually believed that nations are not very different from individuals and that they are created "as historical actors, having spirits or souls, missions, wills, geniuses; they have places of origin / birth (cradles, often, in the national myth) and lineages (usually patrilineages), as well as life cycles that include birth, periods of blossoming and decay, and fears of death; they have as their physical referent territories that are bounded like human bodies" (Verdery, 229). Jewish people in the Ottoman Empire thus came to differentiate themselves from other individuals on account of their background and started to feel that it was very important for them to create a community that would have all the characteristics that they considered to be distinguishing for them. They no longer wanted to be an insignificant part of a greater body and they wanted to put across their passion even with the fact that such an attitude was likely to damage their image as a whole. Jews in the Ottoman Empire were significantly influenced by their counterparts in Europe as Zionist movements experienced significant progress and as Jewish groups in European countries started to shape their individuality in accordance with their traditional beliefs. However, while Sephardim communities throughout the Ottoman Empire expressed interest in nationalist concepts, the Palestinian group was particularly concerned about developing a sense of cultural identity and seemed determined to fight for their principles. In addition to this, other Ottoman communities also began to express nationalist beliefs at the time and contributed to having Palestinian Jews feel that they had to act before it was too late for them to do so (Campos, 462).

While the Ottoman Empire experienced reformed with the purpose of raising people's awareness regarding the importance of Ottoman citizenship, it also influenced individuals in acknowledging that it was important for them to have a cultural identity and that they had to focus on their background in order to learn more regarding it. This makes it possible for the general public to comprehend that a community that seems to be strong can easily be divided by people's personal beliefs and by their backgrounds. It is very likely for individuals to express interest in detaching themselves from a group that they are associated with as a consequence of feeling that they do not actually belong to the respective community (Verdery, 232).

Jewish groups in Palestine considered that they were exposed to a series of threats as a result of the fact that they lived in mixed neighborhoods. They believe that they would be stronger if they had the opportunity to unite in a community that would no longer accept to be persecuted. Even with this, many Jews were hesitant about getting involved in a group that would act against Ottoman principles and feared that they would suffer if they adopted a nationalist attitude. The fact that the Ottoman Empire was weakened at the time of the First World War influenced groups within its borders to express less support regarding the Empire. While Sephardi Jews in Palestine focused on avoiding any form of conflict with other groups in the Empire up until that moment, it was very difficult and even impossible for them to keep their policies in a context that no longer provided them with a series of advantages.