From the Arab Other to the Israeli Self

Palestinian Culture in the Making of Israeli National Identity

Yonatan Mendel, Ronald Ranta

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781138367005
• eBook ISBN: 9781317131700
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern History
• Index: Social Sciences

This book examines the role played by Arab-Palestinian culture and people in the construction and reproduction of Israeli national identity and culture, showing that it is impossible to understand modern Israeli national identity and culture without taking into account its crucial encounter and dialectical relationship with the Arab-Palestinian indigenous 'Other'.

Based on extensive and original primary sources, including archival research, memoirs, advertisements, cookbooks and a variety of cultural products – from songs to dance steps – From the Arab Other to the Israeli Self sheds light on an important cultural and ideational diffusion that has occurred between the Zionist settlers – and later the Jewish-Israeli population – and the indigenous Arab-Palestinian people in Historical Palestine. By examining Israeli food culture, national symbols, the Modern Hebrew language spoken in Israel, and culture, the authors trace the journey of Israeli national identity and culture, in which Arab-Palestinian culture has been imitated, adapted and celebrated, but strikingly also rejected, forgotten and denied. Innovative in approach and richly illustrated with empirical material, this book will appeal to sociologists, anthropologists, historians and scholars of cultural and Middle Eastern studies with interests in the development and adaptation of culture, national thought and identity.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Dedication
• List of Figures
• Foreword
• Series Editor’s Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Note on Transliteration
• Glossary
• Introduction
• 1 How do you say Arabic in Hebrew? Hebrew’s Modern ‘Revival’ and the Place of Arabic
• 2 What’s in a Symbol? Deconstructing Israeli National Symbols
• 3 Digesting the Nation: Arab Ingredients in the Making of the ‘Israeli Kitchen’
• 4 The Creation of an Arab non-Arab Culture: Between the Arab Other and the Israeli Self
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index