This book is about the social history of the Arab Jews—Jews living in Arab countries—against the backdrop of Zionist nationalism. By using the term "Arab Jews" (rather than "Mizrahim," which literally means "Orientals") the book challenges the binary opposition between Arabs and Jews in Zionist discourse, a dichotomy that renders the linking of Arabs and Jews in this way inconceivable. It also situates the study of the relationships between Mizrahi Jews and Ashkenazi Jews in the context of early colonial encounters between the Arab Jews and the European Zionist emissaries—prior to the establishment of the state of Israel and outside Palestine. It argues that these relationships were reproduced upon the arrival of the Arab Jews to Israel. The book also provides a new prism for understanding the intricate relationships between the Arab Jews and the Palestinian refugees of 1948, a link that is usually obscured or omitted by studies that are informed by Zionist historiography. Finally, the book uses the history of the Arab Jews to transcend the assumptions necessitated by the Zionist perspective, and to open the door for a perspective that sheds new light on the basic assumptions upon which Zionism was founded.

Reflects on the interrelationship between war, genocide, and identity in the 20th century. Contends that World War I provided a pattern for the industrial killing that reached its apex in the Nazi Holocaust. Comparing France and Germany, both of which looked for an "elusive enemy" to help them cope with the trauma of World War I, notes that Germany found it in the Jews. This perception allowed the Germans to see themselves as victims and their actions against the Jews as self-defense. The search for "elusive enemies" (to blame for perpetrating the genocide) and "elusive victims" (e.g. the French or German people) continued after the war. Compares the French, German, and Jewish postwar discourses of the Holocaust. Presenting themselves as the main victims of Nazism, the French and Germans have tended to neglect Jews as the main victims. Criticizes writings by Hannah Arendt, Ka-Tzetnik, and some other postwar writers on the Holocaust and its roots.

"A pacesetter, at the forefront in recognizing the persisting importance of 'ethnicity as a force both in building nations and in tearing them apart, ' it is also a work of literary merit, crafted by a master wordsmith." So comments Lucian Pye in reflecting on this classic work in political science and sociology about group identities bending and shaping themselves under the pressure of political change. These transformations seem to have basic similarities, whether they take place in Little Rock or Kenya, Vietnam or Pakistan, Belgium or Biafra. Isaacs sorts out some fundamentals in forming group identity: the body, names, language, history of origins, religion, and nationality. These are dynamic elements that are melded together but have the possibility of creating new pluralisms.

"Autonomy and Conflict: Ethnoterritoriality and Separatism in the South Caucasus – Cases in Georgia" is Svante E. Cornell's doctoral dissertation, published in 2002 by the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University. The work examines the role of territorial autonomy in fostering violent ethnic conflicts in the South Caucasus, focusing specifically on Georgia. Cornell analyzes the historical and political development of Georgia, exploring how autonomy arrangements have influenced separatist movements and ethnoterritorial disputes. The study is structured into chapters that address the roots of ethnopolitical conflict, the impact of communism and nationalism on ethnicity within the Soviet context, and the factors contributing to conflict in the region. The dissertation concludes with an analysis of the political development in Georgia and offers explanations for the emergence of ethnopolitical conflicts. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the complexities of autonomy and separatism in the South Caucasus.