Description:
This course will discuss the texture of contemporary Israeli society, based primarily on an analysis of Israeli movies. Until the 1980s, Israeli society pursued a social ideal that derived from European-Socialist-Zionist dominance and the (real or virtual) experience of the Holocaust. Social unity and uniformity was forged by different institutions and organizations (army, kibbutz-movement, trade unions). Recent cultural multiplicity and the ideological-political diversity emerged after the Zionist, European and socialist ideal, whether together or
separately, have ceased to serve as a basis for national consensus.
After a general presentation of historical facts and the Zionist narrative, the course will
explore the different ethnic, cultural, ideological, and religious sectors in Israeli society.
Starting out with the identity of second-generation Holocaust survivors, the course will introduce the students to the fascinating, yet problematic reality of a multi-cultural and multiethnic society that needs to negotiate its national consensus anew.
The course includes the viewing of six Israeli feature films.
