Center Journals

This article explores World History as a growing field within contemporary historical studies, one that is virtually absent in Arab universities. The history, themes, sources and methodologies of World History are here explored, as studied in specialized centers in many Western universities. Referring to leading studies on World History, as well as historians who have made significant contributions to its development in the US and Europe, the author highlights the importance of this relatively new field and its connection to global developments over the preceding few decades. Attention is given to one particular approach where the history of an object or idea is used to make broader conclusions about the history of a particular region or that of the entire world, with the author relying on the specific examples of studies on glass and salt that situate their histories within the framework of world history. According to the author, the study of World History, not only as a field of historical research, but also as a pedagogical tool, can contribute significantly to the training of young historians in comparative and inter-disciplinary history, as well as improve their critical thinking skills and their ability to make broad observations about and connections between historical events, and to dispel erroneous preconceived notions.

In its efforts to establish a Jewish State in Palestine at the expense of the Palestinian people, and its fight against the Palestinian national movement, the Jewish Agency in Palestine, the forerunner of the Israeli state, constantly interfered in the domestic affairs of neighboring Arab countries. This intervention intensified during the 1936-1939 Palestine Rebellion, and the Political Department of the Jewish Agency recruited agents in these countries while also communicating illicitly with elites and local leaders there. This article examines the Jewish Agency’s efforts during the Palestinian Rebellion to influence the Syrian National Block, which was leading the Syrian people’s struggle for independence from France. It details the content of these secret and officially recorded negotiations during that time period.