ENGLISH

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

By Gil Eyal

Book information

Publisher
Stanford University Press
Year
2006
ISBN
9781503625945
DOI
10.1515/9781503625945
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
4 MB (4697520 bytes)
Pages
336\334
Library
degruyter.com
Time added
2023-08-23 22:18:09

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.

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