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Critical Issues in Israeli Society
Alan Dowty
Book Code: C7320
ISBN: 0-275-97320-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-97320-9
272 pages, figures, tables
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 1/30/2004
List Price: $87.95 (UK Sterling Price: £49.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • The politics and sociology of Israeli society cannot be understood without considering the Palestein-Israeli conflict, but often that particular conflict becomes the primary focus of analysis. Alan Dowty's edited volume, Critical Issues in Israeli Society, is a welcome addition to the literature because it goes beyond the limited view. There are indeed, many other critical issues in Israeli society, and this book is a useful compendium of essays that address them....[t]he book is a valuable collection of work by established scholars of Israel Studies.....[t]he range of topics and approaches provides something of interest to many students and scholars.
    —An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies     2006
  • [A] rich contribution to our understanding of the major critical issues within Israeli society.
    —Journal of Israeli History     September 2005
  • [P]rovides a useful overview of salient social research concerns in contemporary Israeli society.
    —MESA Bulletin     2005
Description: Fashioning a working political structure in Israel that will bring together all aspects of society, from Jews to Arabs, ultra-Orthodox to assertively secular, has never been easy. However, two developments have intensified this challenge: demographic changes have sharpened the differences between the groups; and open challenges of legitimacy have undermined the previous de facto acceptance of pluralism. There has been no strong civic framework of "Israeliness" to replace Zionism as a shared identity that would override more parochial identities and interests. Added to these pressures are the collapse of the peace process in late 2000 and the influence of global developments on the Arab-Israel conflict and on Israeli domestic society. In this volume, twelve noted scholars of Israel present authoritative and analytic overviews of these important issues. The ability of the Israeli political system to bridge differences through a Jewish tradition of power-sharing has, in the past, managed to overcome enormous divisions, at least within the Jewish sector. Economic progress and globalization have brought Israel closer to other developed societies in many respects, while exposing Israel to pressures associated with these trends. Closer analysis of these critical issues reveals that there are also positive forces at work as the nation seeks a broader synthesis of its Jewish legacy and universal liberal values.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction: The Tribalization of Israel? by Alan Dowty
  • Trends in the Public Sphere
  • Sources of Stability and Instability in the Israeli Polity by Gideon Doron and Rebecca Kook
  • Corruption, Political Finance and the Rule of Law by Menachem Hofnung
  • How Far Do Justices Go: The Limits of Judicial Decisions by Gad Barzilai
  • Social Cleavages
  • Changes in the Orthodox Camp and Their Influence on the Deepening Religious-Secular Schism at the Outset of the 21st Century by Asher Cohen
  • The "Russian Revolution" in Israel by Zvi Gitelman
  • The Status of the Palestinians in Israel: A Double Periphery in an Ethno-National State by Majid Al-Haj
  • Social and Economic Trends
  • A Critical Look at Israel's Economic and Social Gaps by Ira Sharkansky
  • Globalization and Its Impact on Israel by Yaron Ezrahi
  • Security Issues
  • A Question That Outweighs All Others: Israel and the Palestinians in Broad Perspective by Alan Dowty
  • Public Opinion and the Peace Process by Asher Arian
  • Zionism and History
  • Normalization and Its Discontents: Israel as a Diaspora Jewish Community by Derek Penslar
  • About the Editor and Contributors
  • Index
LC Card Number: 2003060426
LCC Class: DS126
Dewey Class: 956
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