In this new work, Joseph Massad presents a number of stimulating essays on Zionism and Palestinian nationalism. They are primarily concerned with the ideological underpinnings of the former, through race and culture and the Palestinian response and national agenda. Also examined is the role of gender, the holocaust, the refugee question, the peace process and its impact on Palestinian politics.

The book is primarily concerned with the centrality of the Jewish question and its overlap with the Palestinian question. It is divided into two sections: part one includes essays on Zionist ideology and Palestinian nationalism, while part two includes essays on the origins of the peace process and its transformation of the Palestinian political field. The essays, which have been previously published in a variety of academic journals, are brought together with a new, fresh introduction.