Acknowledgments ix

1. Introduction 1

2. Histories and Historicities in Palestine 26

3. State Expansion and the Violence of "Peace Making" in Palestine 64

4. The Carrier 99

5. Dying to Live 136

6. The Strategies and Politics of Martyrdom in Palestine 189

7. Conclusion 224

Appendix 243

Notes 245

Bibliography 259

Index 269

“[A] very good ethnography, richly documented and theoretically informed, which should be read by anyone interested in the anthropology of violence or the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.” — Eyal Ben-Ari, Social Anthropology

“[A]n important contribution to the understanding of this bloody chapter in the history of Palestinian resistance, as it addresses the issue from the perspective of the Palestinians themselves.” — Asa Winstanley, The Electronic Intifada

“[Abufarha] offers a holistic and multi-tiered approach to account for the cultural meanings that underlie and extend beyond the political instrumentalities of using ‘human bombs’ to destabilize Israeli society. . . . Recommended. All levels/libraries.” — B. Tavokolian, Choice

“[T]he book makes an exceptional contribution to our understanding of martyrdom operations. The author’s focus on the cultural discourse of martyrdom allows the reader to understand the self-sacrificial ‘system of motivations’ for such acts; an understanding missing in English terms such as ‘human bomb’ or ‘suicide bombings’.” — Leonardo A. Schiocchet, Interventions

“The Making of a Human Bomb by Nasser Abufarha is required reading, for it links the 21st century’s leading sociological perspective (culture) with the new century’s quintessential form of political violence (suicide bombers, or SBs).” — Albert J. Bergesen, American Journal of Sociology

“[Abufarha’s] research is extensive and his thesis powerful. . . .” — Steven E. Levingston, Washington Post “Short Stack” blog

“[T]he best book I've come across on explaining the source of conflict. . . . The author does a very good job of presenting a complex situation and making it understandable. It's a powerful book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the core reasons behind the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, understanding the Palestinian use of suicide attacks on civilians, and/or understanding some factors which drive the acceptance and use of suicide bombs in any culture.” — Debbie White, Different Time Different Place blog

“Abufarha can hardly be blamed for this apparent disconnect between his strongest material and his analytical conclusions. It results from writing perhaps the most difficult kind of ethnography imaginable, one whose physical subject has vanished and been replaced by competing ideologies. Abufarha deserves credit for rising to this challenge and writing an insightful, passionately researched, and consistently provocative if analytically uneven book. He has broken new ground; may others join him in tilling it.” — Diana Allan, American Ethnologist

“With this book, [Abufarha] has made several incisive contributions, and not only towards understanding the suicide bombers of the Intifada. Yet non-Palestinian scholars invested in research and reading about Palestine should read Abufarha’s book not only for his insightful analysis but also for the value of his reportage of the ‘on the ground’ perspectives of Palestinians in the northern West Bank. On both accounts, and various mixtures thereof, this is an important book I highly recommend.” — Les W. Field, Journal of Anthropological Research

“[A] very good ethnography, richly documented and theoretically informed, which should be read by anyone interested in the anthropology of violence or the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.” —Eyal Ben-Ari, Social Anthropology

“[A]n important contribution to the understanding of this bloody chapter in the history of Palestinian resistance, as it addresses the issue from the perspective of the Palestinians themselves.” —Asa Winstanley, The Electronic Intifada

“[Abufarha] offers a holistic and multi-tiered approach to account for the cultural meanings that underlie and extend beyond the political instrumentalities of using ‘human bombs’ to destabilize Israeli society. . . . Recommended. All levels/libraries.” —B. Tavokolian, Choice

“[T]he book makes an exceptional contribution to our understanding of martyrdom operations. The author’s focus on the cultural discourse of martyrdom allows the reader to understand the self-sacrificial ‘system of motivations’ for such acts; an understanding missing in English terms such as ‘human bomb’ or ‘suicide bombings’.” —Leonardo A. Schiocchet, Interventions

“The Making of a Human Bomb by Nasser Abufarha is required reading, for it links the 21st century’s leading sociological perspective (culture) with the new century’s quintessential form of political violence (suicide bombers, or SBs).” —Albert J. Bergesen, American Journal of Sociology

“[Abufarha’s] research is extensive and his thesis powerful. . . .” —Steven E. Levingston, Washington Post “Short Stack” blog

“[T]he best book I've come across on explaining the source of conflict. . . . The author does a very good job of presenting a complex situation and making it understandable. It's a powerful book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in the core reasons behind the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, understanding the Palestinian use of suicide attacks on civilians, and/or understanding some factors which drive the acceptance and use of suicide bombs in any culture.” —Debbie White, Different Time Different Place blog

“Abufarha can hardly be blamed for this apparent disconnect between his strongest material and his analytical conclusions. It results from writing perhaps the most difficult kind of ethnography imaginable, one whose physical subject has vanished and been replaced by competing ideologies. Abufarha deserves credit for rising to this challenge and writing an insightful, passionately researched, and consistently provocative if analytically uneven book. He has broken new ground; may others join him in tilling it.” —Diana Allan, American Ethnologist

“With this book, [Abufarha] has made several incisive contributions, and not only towards understanding the suicide bombers of the Intifada. Yet non-Palestinian scholars invested in research and reading about Palestine should read Abufarha’s book not only for his insightful analysis but also for the value of his reportage of the ‘on the ground’ perspectives of Palestinians in the northern West Bank. On both accounts, and various mixtures thereof, this is an important book I highly recommend.” —Les W. Field, Journal of Anthropological Research

“The Making of a Human Bomb is a powerful book. Reflecting on suicide bombings, Nasser Abufarha explains more: the collective state of mind of the Palestinian population since the Oslo process broke down in 2000. His book will be quite useful for anyone seeking to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as perceived from the Palestinian side.” — John Quigley, author of, The Case for Palestine: An International Law Perspective

Permission to Photocopy (coursepacks)

If you are requesting permission to photocopy material for classroom use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center at copyright.com;

If the Copyright Clearance Center cannot grant permission, you may request permission from our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Permission to Reprint

If you are requesting permission to reprint DUP material (journal or book selection) in another book or in any other format, contact our Copyrights & Permissions Manager (use Contact Information listed below).

Images/Art

Many images/art used in material copyrighted by Duke University Press are controlled, not by the Press, but by the owner of the image. Please check the credit line adjacent to the illustration, as well as the front and back matter of the book for a list of credits. You must obtain permission directly from the owner of the image. Occasionally, Duke University Press controls the rights to maps or other drawings. Please direct permission requests for these images to permissions@dukeupress.edu.
For book covers to accompany reviews, please contact the publicity department.

Subsidiary Rights/Foreign Translations

If you're interested in a Duke University Press book for subsidiary rights/translations, please contact permissions@dukeupress.edu. Include the book title/author, rights sought, and estimated print run.

Disability Requests

Instructions for requesting an electronic text on behalf of a student with disabilities are available here.

Rights & Permissions Contact Information

Email: permissions@dukeupress.edu

Email contact for coursepacks: asstpermissions@dukeupress.edu

Fax: 919-688-4574

Mail:
Duke University Press
Rights and Permissions
905 W. Main Street
Suite 18B
Durham, NC 27701

For all requests please include:

1. Author's name. If book has an editor that is different from the article author, include editor's name also.

2. Title of the journal article or book chapter and title of journal or title of book

3. Page numbers (if excerpting, provide specifics)

For coursepacks, please also note: The number of copies requested, the school and professor requesting

For reprints and subsidiary rights, please also note: Your volume title, publication date, publisher, print run, page count, rights sought