Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History by Norman G. Finkelstein
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Book Summary Author: Norman G. Finkelstein Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 2008-06-02 ISBN: 0520249895 Number of pages: 488 Publisher: University of California Press |
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Book Reviews of the Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
Customer Review: Accurate and wonderful scholarship on the Israel-Palestine conflict
Summary: 5 Stars
It is upsetting to see one misuse a position of power towards a particular cause. Alan Dershowitz, in his book The Case for Israel, certainly misused his position as Harvard professor in drafting a piece of writing that is completely without credibility. On the otherhand, Norman Finkelstein holds no Chair at a Harvard. Instead, he is at DePaul University, a school with more financial problems than a bad gambler.
Finkelstein's thesis argues that the pro-Israel lobby (which Dershowitz represents) intentionally and systematically uses accusations of anti-semitism to intimidate criticism or proliferate approval. Finkelstein uses Dershowitz's book, which has won numerous kudos and accolades, to prove his thesis. Dershowitz's book is a complete fraud, poorly cited to the max. Finkelstein literally attempts to debunk all of the sources from which Dershowitz derived his book - and does an exemplary job of it.
MOST significantly, Finkelstein's book has opened my eyes to the human rights record of Israel in the Occupied Territories. The result of Beyond Chutzpah is a narrative of Israeli's actions within during this long lasting conflict between two warring groups. I echo a similar reviewer's comments that this book is an "intellectual tour de force." This book is an amazing piece of scholarship.
Accusing an academic of plagarism only calls for attempts by others to discredit the accuser's work... for that reason Finkelstein has had no choice but to use sources that are easily accessable. Though most importantly, such circumstances force the accuser to have no choice but to be compeletely truthful and accurate. It is without doubt that drafting a book like Beyond Chutzpah is indeed a risk towards his own academic position, not to mention his personal livelihood.
With that said, Finkelstein's book is incredibly well cited. Not only does he "over-cite," he cites easily accessable and highly mainstream (e.g. credible) sources, such as Amnesty International Reports and B'Tselem. Importantly, he notes the web address where applicable (many of his sources are accessable online). Finkelstein also directly reproduces certain pages from Dershowitz's and Joan Peter's From Time Immemorial to *prove plagarism.* You don't have to go to the library yourself to compare the pages, because the University of California Press has reproduced the pages (in shrunken, but still very clear, form). It is particularly interesting to note the obscurity and absurdity of the sources Dershowitz cites in his book.
Finkelstein successfully argues that no only has Dershowitz plagarized, he also manufactured facts from out of thin air. As a case study on the misuse of power towards a particular cause, in this instance arguing against Dershowitz's pro-Israel position, he is also successful. From reading this text, it has opened my eyes to other similar attempts by the lobby to advocate their position.
If money is not a concern, read Beyond Chutzpah and Case for Israel together, so you can directly compare the notes (though, I am hesitant to suggest anyone to go buy Dershowitz's book). After reading the book, comparing the notes, there is no doubt - whatsoever - in my mind that Alan Dershowitz is a complete liar, and that his continued tenure at Harvard severely undermines the its credibility. On the other hand, DePaul University should be proud to have Finkelstein on their faculty.
This book is indeed a profoundly IMPORTANT addition to the existing literature on the subject, and is vital towards the understanding of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
To Finkelstein, good luck and keep it up!
From a fellow academic.