Academic Debates about Israel: A Socio-Historical Perspective

This presentation looks at several main academic debates about Israel from a socio-historical perspective. These debates can be seen as reflecting three major kinds of problematics of Israeli society: those experienced by Israel like any other society; those shared with "similar" societies; and those which are "unique" to Israel as a singular setting. As to the first type of problematics, one may remember the old Greek concept ochlocracy and the potential "precariousness" endemic to "the civilizing process" discussed by Norbert Elias. As to the second type, its relevance refers to the specific problematics of modernity or modern societies and especially the distinction, by Eisenstadt, between constructive and destructive tendencies of modernity. As to the third type, one may focus on some longue durée influences of the Jewish Civilization on Israeli society and phenomena related to the concept cultural trauma.