Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel
Zionism, as Israel's founding ideological movement, aimed to construct a national identity through the Jewish religious tradition while presenting itself as a form of secular nationalism. This paradox—the incorporation of religious elements into a secular identity—has s...
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Milel ve Nihal: Eğitim, Kültür ve Düşünce Platformu Derneği
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Milel ve Nihal |
| Online Access: | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/doi/10.17131/milel.1564051 |
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| author | Fahri Danış |
| author_facet | Fahri Danış |
| author_sort | Fahri Danış |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Zionism, as Israel's founding ideological movement, aimed to construct a national identity through the Jewish religious tradition while presenting itself as a form of secular nationalism. This paradox—the incorporation of religious elements into a secular identity—has shaped the core "Traditionalist-Secular" divide in Israeli politics and emerged as a significant obstacle to forming a coherent nation-state identity. The official conception of Israeli identity has consistently reflected tensions between tradition and modernity, fostering the development of dissenting political positions from the state's early years. One notable response was the Canaanite movement, developed by a group of artists and intellectuals in the 1930s. Led by poet-journalist Yonatan Ratosh, the movement, known as the "Young Hebrews," critiqued Zionism's vision of identity and proposed an alternative nationalist discourse. Highlighting the distinction between Jewishness and Hebrewness, the Canaanites argued for the institutionalization of Israel as a secular nation-state. They posited that national identity should be rooted not in the religious affiliation of Jewishness but in the ethnic and geographical identity of Hebrewness. This study examines the contradictory nature of Zionist national identity and the critical nationalist response articulated by the Canaanite movement. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3925825aad474e57bbdfe0ca6299cb4d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1304-5482 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Milel ve Nihal: Eğitim, Kültür ve Düşünce Platformu Derneği |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Milel ve Nihal |
| spelling | doaj-art-3925825aad474e57bbdfe0ca6299cb4d2025-01-12T08:50:51ZengMilel ve Nihal: Eğitim, Kültür ve Düşünce Platformu DerneğiMilel ve Nihal1304-54822024-12-0121The Critique of Zionism72410.17131/milel.1564051 Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel Fahri Danış0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5872-6873Atatürk Üniversitesi Zionism, as Israel's founding ideological movement, aimed to construct a national identity through the Jewish religious tradition while presenting itself as a form of secular nationalism. This paradox—the incorporation of religious elements into a secular identity—has shaped the core "Traditionalist-Secular" divide in Israeli politics and emerged as a significant obstacle to forming a coherent nation-state identity. The official conception of Israeli identity has consistently reflected tensions between tradition and modernity, fostering the development of dissenting political positions from the state's early years. One notable response was the Canaanite movement, developed by a group of artists and intellectuals in the 1930s. Led by poet-journalist Yonatan Ratosh, the movement, known as the "Young Hebrews," critiqued Zionism's vision of identity and proposed an alternative nationalist discourse. Highlighting the distinction between Jewishness and Hebrewness, the Canaanites argued for the institutionalization of Israel as a secular nation-state. They posited that national identity should be rooted not in the religious affiliation of Jewishness but in the ethnic and geographical identity of Hebrewness. This study examines the contradictory nature of Zionist national identity and the critical nationalist response articulated by the Canaanite movement.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/doi/10.17131/milel.1564051 |
| spellingShingle | Fahri Danış Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel Milel ve Nihal |
| title |
Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel
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| title_full |
Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel
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| title_fullStr |
Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel
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| title_full_unstemmed |
Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel
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| title_short |
Canaanism: The Search for an Alternative Identity to Zionism in Israel
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| title_sort | canaanism the search for an alternative identity to zionism in israel |
| url | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/doi/10.17131/milel.1564051 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fahridanıs canaanismthesearchforanalternativeidentitytozionisminisrael |