Benny Morris | |
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בני מוריס | |
![]() Morris in 2007 | |
Born | Ein HaHoresh, Israel | 8 December 1948
Academic background | |
Education | |
Thesis | The British Weekly Press and Nazi Germany During the 1930's (1977) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Historian |
School or tradition | New Historians |
Institutions | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev |
Benny Morris (Hebrew: בני מוריס; born 8 December 1948)[1] is an Israeli historian. He was a professor of history in the Middle East Studies department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in the city of Beersheba, Israel. Morris was initially associated with the group of Israeli historians known as the "New Historians", a term he coined to describe himself and historians Avi Shlaim, Ilan Pappé and Simha Flapan.[2] Scholars have perceived an ideological shift in Morris's work starting around 2000, during the Second Intifada.[3][4]
Morris's 20th century work on the Arab–Israeli conflict and especially the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has won praise and criticism from both sides of the political divide.[5] Despite regarding himself as a Zionist,[6] he writes, "I embarked upon the research not out of ideological commitment or political interest. I simply wanted to know what happened."[7]