The book discusses the myth of origins and its role in the formation of particularistic national identities. Furthermore, it examines the conflict between nationalism and the universal form of identity, citizenship.

"Is national identity the same as citizenship? Riad Nasser's latest book picks this question apart through a close reading of history and civics textbooks in Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. He deftly shows how all three government-approved curricula selectively employ history to instill a sense of national pride and connection to the land that is applicable to some students but not to others. These exclusive identities, particularly in Israel, then become a rationale for unequal citizenship rights and unequal distribution of state benefits. The book is a must-read for anyone wishing to understand the role of public education in generating national identities in multi-ethnic states, and the potential of textbooks to serve political agendas." -Eleanor Doumato, author of Teaching Islam: Religion and Textbooks in the Middle East [Lynn Rienner, 2006] "This book breaks new ground by studying the relationship between the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab/Islamic world. It scrutinizes in a comparative and unprecedented manner the discourses of national identity devised by the various actors and their use and manipulation of collective memory. Via its analysis of the historical narratives of Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority, the strategies used to construct national identity in school curricula, the book sheds light on the process by which a collective imagines its origins and creates a coherent continuity between the present generation of co-nationals and their ancestry. This book is a must-read for all scholars interested in Middle East studies, education policy, textbooks and history." -Dr. Samira Alayan, Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Germany "Riad Nasser's book sets a standard for future studies on textbooks and identity construction in the Middle East. It is one of the few comparative studies that does not accuse just one side of the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian conflict. It offers an excellent introduction into identity construction through history and civic education in general, and provides rich and detailed information about the textbooks currently in use in the three countries. Nasser uses his scientific instruments in a most superior manner keeping an analytical, equidistant view on his subject of inquiry. He combines a theoretical approach anchored in a clear methodology and a thorough, in-depth analysis with a well-founded assessment speaking out clearly that all sides have to reconstruct their textbooks in order to shift from ethnonationalism towards a notion of political identity that is based on the concept of citizenship." -Falk Pingel, Associate Research Fellow of the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Germany

Part 1: Identity from a Theoretical and Historical Perspective Chapter 1. Modernity and the Question of Identity Chapter 2. Arab and Jewish National Ideologies Part 2: Recovered Histories and Myth of Origins Chapter 3. The Jewish Myth of Origin Chapter 4. The Palestinian Myth of Origin Chapter 5. Rulers and Ruled: Myth of Origin in Jordan Part 3: Between Nation and Citizenship Chapter 6. Citizenship in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine Chapter 7. Conclusions