The Contradictions of Israeli Citizenship: Land, Religion and State (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415782503 ISBN 13: 9780415782500

Publisher: Routledge, 2011

Synopsis

This book provides an integrated analysis of the complex nature of citizenship in Israel. Contributions from leading social and political theorists explore different aspects of citizenship through the demands and struggles of minority groups to provide a comprehensive picture of the dynamics of Israeli citizenship and the dilemmas that emerge at the collective and individual levels.

Considering the many complex layers of membership in the state of Israel including gender, ethnicity and religion, the book identifies and explores processes of inclusion and exclusion that are general issues in any modern polity with a highly diverse civil society. While the focus is unambiguously on modern Israel, the interpretations of citizenship are relevant to many other modern societies that face similar contradictory tendencies in membership. As such, the book will be of great interest to students and scholars of political science, political sociology and law.

About this title

About the Author

Guy Ben-Porat is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Public Policy and Administration, Ben-Gurion University. He has written widely on Israel and conflict resolution, and his research focuses on conflict resolution, ethnic relations, globalization, public policy and multiculturalism.

Bryan S. Turner is Presidential Professor in the Ph.D. Program in Sociology at the City University of New York's Graduate Center and Professor of Social and Political Thought at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. One of the world's leading sociologists of religion, he has also devoted significant attention to sociological theory, the study of human rights, and the sociology of the body.

Review

"Israel has been characterized as a society with multiple self-definitions, many different frontiers and borders, and continuing controversies over recognition. Profs. Ben-Porat and Turner cycle into these discussions a book that revolves around multiple facets of citizenship.
It is a very useful collection of original papers that examine a dozen the most interesting and complex aspects of Israel today. The chapters are written by leading experts on contemporary issues within Israel. The book can serve as a fascinating introduction to Israeli society as well as source of commentary and insight for those already familiar with the cultural complexities of this fascinating county."

Russell A. Stone, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, American University in Washington.

"Ben Porat and Turner are offering in this pioneering book an insight into the conflicts embedded in Israel's struggles to define the political meaning of citizenship in a rifted society that is still in search for its collective identity. No future study of citizenship and Israeli society will be complete without a serious reading of this important volume of original scholarship. Highly recommended."

Gad Barzilai, Professor of International Studies, Law & Political Science, University of Washington.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0415782503
• ISBN 13: 9780415782500
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Ben-Porat Guy, Turner Bryan