New Books In Middle Eastern Studies

Lori Allen’s A History of False Hope: Investigative Commissions in Palestine (Stanford UP, 2020) is a deep engagement with Palestinian political history through an examination of international commissions. Over twenty commissions established over the last century have investigated political violence and human rights violations in the context of Palestine and Palestinians’ rights, yet there has also been very little material change resulting from these commissions. These commissions, Allen argues, operate as technologies of liberal global governance and do not bring justice to Palestinians. However—as her archival and ethnographic research shows, in a deep exploration of three such commissions—Palestinians continue to demand rights and recognition, even in the face of limited outcomes. A History of False Hope therefore serves as an exploration of the characters, motivations, and politics involved in Palestinians’ efforts to assert their rights—and colonial authorities’ and international organizations’ response