ABSTRACT
This chapter uses an unconventional format-- a series of reflective short essays—that provides a more humanistic and ‘on-the-ground’ understanding of politically polarized cities, ethnic conflict, and peacemaking than is typically found in standard books. The author utilizes primary research spanning 25 years and including 360 interviews during 2.5 years of in-country investigation in the cities of Jerusalem (Israel/Palestine), Belfast (Norther Ireland), Johannesburg (South Africa), Nicosia (Cyprus), Sarajevo and Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslavia), Bilbao and Barcelona (Spain), and Beirut (Lebanon). The essays incorporate both ethnographic and auto-ethnographic approaches. This chapter introduces the nature and unique quality of city polarization and portrays the deep-rooted dichotomies of these societies and the intractability of their clashes of worldviews and values. It includes introspective narratives about encountering polarization in the streets, neighborhoods, and meeting places in these cities. There exists a fundamental psychological divide in these cities, one constructed upon opposing, frequently irreconcilable groups and fundamental perspectives. The chapter probes the portrayal and construction of the other side of the ethnic divide from historical, material and psychological perspectives. The chapter includes data-rich information synopses on each of the nine cities.
