In the Land of the Patriarchs: Design and Contestation in West Bank Settlements

The book "In the Land of the Patriarchs" provides an on-the-ground account of the design and evolution of West Bank settlements, showing how unexpected conflicts and collaborations among widely divergent actors have produced one of the world's most contested landscapes.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2023
Publisher: University of Texas Press

Since Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, it has overseen the construction of numerous settlements across the territory's rocky hilltops. These settlements are not just hotly contested political ventures; they are also something more ordinary: residential architectural projects. In the Land of the Patriarchs, Noam Shoked provides an on-the-ground account of the design and evolution of West Bank settlements. He demonstrates how settlements have been shaped not only by the decisions of military generals, high-profile politicians, and prominent architects but also by a wide range of actors, including real estate developers, environmental consultants, amateur archeologists, and Israelis who felt unserved by the country's housing system. The patterns of design and construction they have inspired reflect competing worldviews and aesthetic visions, as well as everyday practices not typically associated with the politics of the Israeli occupation. Shoked reveals the pragmatic choices and contingent circumstances that drive what appears to be a deliberately ideological landscape, demonstrating how unpredictable the transformation of political passion into brick and mortar can be.

Since Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, it has overseen the construction of numerous settlements across the territory's rocky hilltops. These settlements are not just hotly contested political ventures; they are also something more ordinary: residential architectural projects. In the Land of the Patriarchs, Noam Shoked provides an on-the-ground account of the design and evolution of West Bank settlements. He demonstrates how settlements have been shaped not only by the decisions of military generals, high-profile politicians, and prominent architects but also by a wide range of actors, including real estate developers, environmental consultants, amateur archeologists, and Israelis who felt unserved by the country's housing system. The patterns of design and construction they have inspired reflect competing worldviews and aesthetic visions, as well as everyday practices not typically associated with the politics of the Israeli occupation. Shoked reveals the pragmatic choices and contingent circumstances that drive what appears to be a deliberately ideological landscape, demonstrating how unpredictable the transformation of political passion into brick and mortar can be.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781477328545