HSY2570

Modern Israel: vision and reality

Claudia Prestel

8 points - One lecture and one 2-hour seminar per week - Second semester - Clayton - Students wishing to take this subject without having taken a first-year history sequence may do so by enrolling under JWC or RLT subject codes (see entries under Jewish civilisation or Religion and theology) or with permission from the head of the History department.

Objectives On the successful completion of this subject students should have gained an understanding of specific issues in the social and cultural history of modern Israel and of conceptual issues involved in the study of national identity.

Synopsis This subject examines social and cultural issues in the history of modern Israel. After an introduction to Zionist ideologies and the history of the Yishuv, it explores struggles for equality, with particular reference to socialist ideals; the kibbutz movement, and the position of women; the integration of immigrants and the Sephardi experience; changing identities, including discussion of the myth of the new Hebrew man and the significance of religious fundamentalism; memory and changing attitudes to the Holocaust; and relations with Palestinians and the Arab world and different conceptions of the future state. Extensive use will be made of visual material in the seminar programme, including Zionist films of the 1930s and Israeli documentaries and feature films.

Assessment One short paper (1000 words): 15% - Research essay (3000 words): 40% - Take-home examination (2000 words):40% Participation: 5%

Recommended texts

Evron B Jewish state or Israeli nation? Indiana U P, 1995
Hertzberg A The Zionist idea: A historical analysis and reader Athaneum, 1972
Laquer W A history of Zionism Schocken, 1989
Leibowitz Y Judaism, human values, and the Jewish state CUP, 1992
Orr A Israel: Politics, myths, and identity crises Pluto, 1994
Sachar H A history of Israel 2 vols, OUP, 1976, 1987
Vital D Zionism: Formative years OUP, 1982

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