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Showing posts from October, 2018

Violence and the Foundation of Place: Some reflections on conquest narratives in the Book of Joshua

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The above photograph was taken at an exhibit at the Winnipeg Graffiti Gallery created by Jordan Stranger. The exhibit was called "I am not an Indian" and features a Canadian flag with the front cover of the Indian Act superimposed upon it. As the red runs to the bottom, you see it turns into the bloody handprints of children, finally collapsing into the graves of residential school victims. This image is countered by the "tree of life" in the foreground that surrounded by various cultural symbols that point a way forward to a more truly multicultural Canada via the rainbow streamers connecting the pole back to the flag.  Introduction             In this paper I begin by examining the role violence plays in the construction of the political geography of Israel by providing a close analysis of the conquest narrative found in the book of Joshua. I focus on this text because it has strong resonances with the violent socia...