Contemporary Israeli Culture & Identity (JEWI30006)

This subject presents a variety of aspects relating to contemporary Israeli culture and the various conflicts within Israeli life. The subject, through the medium of literature and film, will present students with a wide spectrum of topics that examine Israel in social and cultural terms. The objective is that this approach will help students understand this small but complex country beyond the familiar categories of the political and the military, and will allow them to gain a better comprehension of Israel and its various divisions, cultural trends and transformations. Topics to be explored include the individual, Israel's national narrative, secular/religious issues, gender, ethnic relations, the kibbutz, the army, Israeli-Arab relations, immigrants and the Holocaust.