This course introduces central themes in Israeli society, politics and culture. It aims to acquaint students with key issues in the Israeli society such as multiple citizenship, ethnic, gender, religion and class distinctions and exclusion, and migration. We will ask how the changing significance of ethnicity, religion, democracy, borders and war has affected the understanding of Israel from particular positions of Jews in the US, of Israeli Jews and of Palestinian citizens and the possible dialogue among them. We will consider macro as well as micro political perspectives and pay attention to specific actors, their performances and legitimacy in the mediation of narratives of national and post national belonging. Students read major works in sociology, history and political science as well as watch films and discuss literary texts, with which they will explore the discourse on and in Israel, its subjects and their subject positions, and the conceptual and analytical frames available for such discussions. 

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