NOTE: All information from the folkhögskola will be sent in Swedish.
CELEBRATING THE BALAGAN*: ISRAEL’S SOCIETY REFLECTED IN FEATURE FILM
This course will discuss the texture of contemporary Israeli society, based on an analysis of Israeli movies. Until the 1980s, Israeli society pursued a social ideal that derived from European-Socialist-Zionist dominance and the (real or virtual) experience of the Holocaust. Social unity and uniformity were forged by different institutions and organizations (army, kibbutz-movement, trade unions).
Recent cultural multiplicity and the ideological-political diversity emerged after the Zionist, European and socialist ideal, whether together or separately, have ceased to serve as a basis for national consensus.
After a general presentation of historical facts, the course will explore the different ethnic, cultural, ideological, and religious sectors in Israeli society. Starting out with the identity of second-generation Holocaust survivors, the course will introduce the students to the fascinating, yet problematic reality of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society that needs to negotiate its national consensus anew.
The course includes screening of six feature films.
The course is given in English, in collaboration with the Center for Jewish Cultural History, Paris Lodron University, Salzburg and Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden.
*The Hebrew word balagan can be translated into mess, chaos.
Prior knowledge
No prior knowledge about the subject is needed.
To apply for this course, you need basic computer skills and knowledge of how to use the digital platform Zoom. The school offers Zoom manuals and a training opportunity before the start of the course.
Course material
All course material is not included in the cost for this course. You will receive information regarding which course books to purchase on your own, if you get accepted to the course.
About the teacher
Louise Hecht was recently the Lilli and Michael Sommerfreund guest professor at the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien in Heidelberg, Germany. She studied Judaic Studies, German and Spanish literature at the University Vienna, Austria. She holds a PhD in Jewish History from The Hebrew University, Jerusalem (summa cum laude) and a habilitation in Jewish Cultural History from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg. Her teaching and research focus on cultural and intellectual history, gender studies, printing culture and popular culture in Israel.
Photo: from the movie “Children of the Sun”
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