Some more reflections...

The readings for Tuesday really brought me back to previous studies I have done in other classes. Ever since I first went to class at The Ohio State University, I became amazed at how classes from all different backgrounds can be applied in all sorts of academic settings. I truly feel like I am a better student if indeed a better person because of this style of education.

But back to the topic at hand, I have been reminded of an archaeology class I took two years ago here at Ohio State. The topic of that class was archaeology of the Near East and many of the places we have referenced so far in this class were also brought up then. An interesting topic we talked about was the colonial power's approach to archaeology. I find it to be very similar to that of the colonial photography during that time which was very biblically focused. There is a widespread belief among secular and religious scholars that believe the archaeology of that period tarnished if not destroyed the veracity of the science. I am amazed at how a similar thought has come about with the photography during that period.

I also reflected back on my experience in Northern Israel in 2009 with the article on the historical problems of the Jewish Arabs. When I was in that region, I was among Lebanese Christians who were residing in the state of Israel. They were doing this because they sided with Israel in the various conflicts between Lebanon and the IDF and so they could no longer return to Lebanon. The only problem that they then faced was their residency in Israel. Due to their previous national and religious affiliation, they could not gain citizenship in Israel. This left them in limbo citizenship wise and left them in extreme poverty.

Having said all of this, I am still amazed at the role religion plays in that region of the world. It is so easy to say that we should all come together and respect each other's beliefs while still realizing we do not have to compromise our own ideologies. Time has shown this never to be the case whether it be through war with the Lebanese Christians or through the arts with the problems of colonial photography. Even the sciences of anthropology were skewed to disrespect or bias religion. This is a sad truth that has led to so many conflicts but at the same time awareness of this will only cause the betterment of everyone who chooses to do so.