'No Promotion After Jerusalem' - Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine

Abstract

This thesis utilises the personal papers of Sir Ronald Storrs, as well as other archival materials, in order to make a microhistorical investigation of Storrs’ period as Military and Civilian Governor of Jerusalem between 1917-1926. Identifying Storrs as one of Galbraith’s ‘Men on the Spot’, the thesis builds upon Edward Said’s work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint’ by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; an approach that was determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his period as a British official in Colonial Egypt. It recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs’ perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the built environment of the city, and in the Governor’s interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. In doing so, this thesis also recognises the restrictions placed on Storrs’ approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, together with the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. By placing Storrs’ personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem, a nuanced and complex picture is exposed; one where personality and politics collide to reveal that individuals as well as institutions have influenced the everyday life and built environment of one of the world’s most revered cities.