Abstract
This essay examines the paradoxical effects on Arab Jews of their two, rival essentialist nationalisms-Jewish and Arab. It shows how the Eurocentric concept of a single 'Jewish History' cut non-Ashkenazi Jews off from their origins, even while the Zionist idea that Arabness and Jewishness are mutually exclusive gradually came to be shared by Arab nationalist discourse. The emergence of a new, hybrid identity of Mizrahim, as a product both of Israel's assimilationist policy and of resistance to it, is discussed. Finally, the author proposes an interdisciplinary framework-Mizrahi studies-as a way of going beyond hegemonic Zionist discourses while at the same time making a strong link to the Palestinian issue.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 5-20 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Journal of Palestine Studies |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1999 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Sociology and Political Science