“The Struggle for Israeli Identity”
Nahum Karlinsky, Graduate Seminar, Ben-Gurion University, Spring 2016
We start by outlining the construction of Israel’s collective identity during the state’s formative years. We then discuss the shattering of that collective outlook in subsequent years and proceed to examining its transformation into its current condition of a kaleidoscopic set of different and even contrasting identities. The theoretical notions of individual and collective identities guide us throughout the course. Among the topics explored are Israel’s political system and society; ethnic relations in Israel; the Arab minorities in the Jewish state; whether there is a unique Israeli culture; Israeli occupation and settlement projects; and the struggle for a unifying Israeli identity. The course concludes with a staged peace conference on the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
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