Israel from the Margins: Culture and Politics
How does Israeli culture negotiate the diversity of Israeli society? How does it represent the internal tensions complicating this society? And how do marginal subjects claim their place in Israeli culture? In this course we will explore the literary and cinematic production of Israeli women, LGBT people, Mizrahim, and Palestinians. Course materials (in translation) will range from the provocative poetry of Yona Volach, to the work of Palestinian Hebrew authors Anton Shammas and Sayed Kashua, and Mizrahi authors Ronit Matalon, Amira Hess, and Albert Swissa. We will also watch several Israeli and Palestinian films that foreground question of nationality, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. 3 hrs lect./disc.