The research colloquium during the winter semester ...

Among the Israeli public, there is a growing chorus of voices critically questioning whether we can continue to view Israel as a Western exclave in the Middle East, as a “villa in the jungle,” as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak once put it, or whether we should not have long since come to understand Israel as part of the region—on the one hand, integrated through a dense network of geopolitical alliances, and on the other, influenced by a political culture increasingly shaped by the Middle East.

Looking beyond day-to-day Israeli politics, Johannes Becke takes up this debate and offers a nuanced examination of the cultural positioning of Israeli society. He puts forward the thesis that, since its founding, Israel has undergone a comprehensive integration—in terms of cultural and institutional history—into the region of the Middle East and North Africa. Not only do religious law, the massive security apparatus, and the treatment of ethnic minorities correspond to patterns common in the region, but so do Israeli politics, cuisine, and music. Johannes Becke highlights the positive and negative aspects of this integration and, for the first time, describes Israel not as a Western state but as a Middle Eastern one.

No registration required!