E170 | Historians face numerous challenges when attempting to excavate the Palestinian past. Palestinians are often erased from the landscape and their voices are wiped from the historical record. This is especially true with regards to the Ottoman past, which despite its immediate relevance for understanding the present, has been largely ignored by scholars. In this episode, Beshara Doumani discusses his experiences in rediscovering Ottoman Palestine and some of the unique challenges facing historians seeking to write the history of Palestinians.

Beshara Doumani is a Professor of History at Brown University. His research examines the history of Palestine as well as family, law, and economy in Ottoman Syria.

Chris Gratien is a doctoral candidate at Georgetown University researching the social and environmental history of the Ottoman Empire and the modern Middle East.

More at: http://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2014/08/writing-history-palestine.html