Course Details

This course examines fiction and film, as well as selected poetry, popular songs, and essays, to explore the experience of diverse groups within contemporary Israeli society. Among the topics to be considered: the sabra ideal; Holocaust survivors and the second generation; Sephardic/Mizrahi communities; religious/secular divides in Israeli culture; Israel’s Arab minority; and questions of gender, including gay and lesbian life.

The readings include examples from the extraordinary boom of Hebrew fiction produced in the 1980s and 1990s. By looking at changing assumptions about Israeli identity, the course will consider changing voices in Israeli literature, changing literary norms, and artistic innovation and experiment, especially in narrative. One trend of particular note is the dramatic emergence of women writers onto the literary scene in recent years. Readings will also cover background information on Israeli history and society.

All readings will be in English. Any students wishing to receive additional credits for doing work in Hebrew should contact the instructor.