Because Israel is unique in many dimensions, many social scientists consider it a historical peculiarity. Neither East nor West, developed nor undeveloped, capitalist nor socialist, Third World nor First World, Israel has little in common with other countries and their historical experiences. This book of original essays challenges the image of Israeli uniqueness and the status of the Israeli case and at the same time corrects some common misperceptions about the comparative method in general and case selection in particular. At the same time, it compares Israeli and Arab experiences and addresses critical issues in Middle Eastern studies.
To challenge the image of Israeli uniqueness, the authors situate Israel’s history in comparative context; employ macrohistorical concepts both to reexamine the Israeli case and to build bridges between Israel and other historical experiences; and use the Israeli case to reconsider existing social science theories. [Articles by Michael Barnett, Yehezkal Dror, Rebecca Kook, Ian Lustick, Joel Migdal, Gershon Shafir, Gabriel Sheffer, Shibley Telhami, and Mark Tessler and Ina Warriner] Israel in Comparative Perspective demonstrates how our understanding of the region can be enriched by using models and theories developed in other regions to reexamine Israeli history.
Inhoudsopgave
Acknowledgments
I. Introduction
1. The Politics of Uniqueness: The Status of the Israeli Case
Michael N. Barnett
II. Israel and International Politics
2. Israeli Foreign Policy: A Realist Ideal-Type or a Breed of Its Own?
Shibley Telhami
3. Israel Diaspora Relations in Comparative Perspective
Gabriel Sheffer
4. Gender and International Relations: A Comparison of Citizen Attitudes in Israel and Egypt
Mark Tessler and Ina Warriner
5. Israel in the World Economy: Israel as an East Asian State?
Michael N. Barnett
III. Israel and Domestic Politics
6. The Fetish of Jerusalem: A Hegemonic Analysis
Ian S. Lustick
7. Society-Formation and the Case of Israel
Ian S. Lustick
8. Between Uniqueness and Exclusion: The Politics of Identity in Israel
Rebecca Kook
9. Zionism and Colonialism: A Comparative Approach
Gershon Shafir
IV. Conclusion
10. On the Uniqueness of Israel: Multiple Readings
Yehezkel Dror
Bibliography
Contributors
Index
Over de auteur
Michael N. Barnett is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of
Confronting the Costs of War: Military Power, State, and Society in Egypt and Israel.