You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Dear Editor
I agreed with many of Martin Kemp's interesting thoughts and I appreciated his careful research, the breadth of his investigation, his judicious language and his courage in publishing this paper in a context where ‘the potential for giving offence’ can ‘take priority’ over a private discussion ‘weighted towards understanding’ (BJP 27(4): 383-406).
There is much that is valuable about this paper; especially that it is an emotionally sympathetic approach to the issues. However, I didn't think the Volkan theory of the unconscious selection of trauma, ‘shared by everyone who identifies as a member of the group, including those who have no historical connection to the traumatic experience itself’ (p. 387), as a foundation for large group identity, had real explanatory value in relation to Israelis and Palestinians, although it has a tone of emotional plausibility.
I wondered whether we can import this kind of analytic thinking into a situation like this where fanaticism is still dominant. Kemp makes many