The Disenchantment of the Orient: Expertise in Arab Affairs and the Israeli State

Description

In this historical study, Gil Eyal argues that before the formation of Israel, Jewish experts participated in constructing the Orient as both a metaphor for the rejuvenation of the Jewish nation, and an enchanted space populated by hybrid figures that mixed Jewish and Arab elements. But following the creation of the state, these experts took up a new role: creating boundaries (both external and internal) between Jews and Arabs, purifying the hybrids that inevitably exist on the margins of boundaries. The enchanted space of the Orient was destroyed, and its place was taken by expert discourses that reinforce the cultural separation between Jews and Arabs. Contents Tables, Figures and Photos Acknowledgments Introduction 1. What Is Mizrahanut? A Methodological Introduction 2. The Jew underneath the Arab's Mask: The Experience of the Orient in the Prestate Period 3. The Field of Orientalist Expertise before 1948 4. The Struggle over Jurisdiction, 1948-1953 5. The Discourse about the Arab Village 6. Military Intelligence and Middle Eastern Studies Conclusion Appendix: The Main Groups of Experts Listed in the Text Notes Bibliography Index