Israel & the Jews, Religion - Middle East, Sacred Places, Middle Eastern & North African Studies, National Characteristics - Africa & the Middle East, Israel/Palestine - History (Modern), Zionism, Nationalism & Sovereignty - Cultural & Social Aspects, Isr

Grasping Land

Name: Grasping Land
Author: Eyal Ben-Ari
ISBN: 9780791496268

by Eyal Ben-Ari

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Overview

This volume explores various processes associated with constructing what has variously been called "The Holy Land," "Eretz Israel," "Zion," Palestine," or "Israel." The contributors focus on ways the landscapes of Israel figure in creating and recreating the identity, presence, and history of groups living there. The book critiques the assumptions lying at the base of various spatial practices related to Zionism. It does this through both a theoretical examination and a focus on hitherto little explored phenomena such as pilgrimages of Israelis to their (or their relatives') native lands abroad, the establishment of Jewish saints' tombs in Israel, the design of Kibbutz museums, country hikes, and conceptions of territory in mixed (Jewish-Arab) communities.

Synopsis

Examines the discourses and experiences associated with space and place in contemporary Israel. This volume explores various processes associated with constructing what has variously been called "The Holy Land," "Eretz Israel," "Zion," Palestine," or "Israel." The contributors focus on ways the landscapes of Israel figure in creating and recreating the identity, presence, and history of groups living there. The book critiques the assumptions lying at the base of various spatial practices related to Zionism. It does this through both a theoretical examination and a focus on hitherto little explored phenomena such as pilgrimages of Israelis to their (or their relatives') native lands abroad, the establishment of Jewish saints' tombs in Israel, the design of Kibbutz museums, country hikes, and conceptions of territory in mixed (Jewish-Arab) communities.

About the Author, Eyal Ben-Ari

Eyal Ben-Ari is Associate Professor and Yoram Bilu is Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ben-Ari has also written Changing Japanese Suburbia: A Study of Two Present-Day Localities; Organization and Culture in Japanese Children: An Interpretive Study; and Body Projects in Japanese Childcare: Culture, Organization and Emotions in a Preschool. Bilu is the author of Without Bounds: The Life and Death of Rabbi Ya'acov Wazana.