Open AccessBook Review: The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge by Ilan Pappe
Author(s) -
Kiani Bismillah
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
political science undergraduate review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2562-1289
pISSN - 2562-1270
DOI - 10.29173/psur7
Subject(s) - zionism , ideology , power (physics) , politics , anti zionism , partition (number theory) , narrative , the holocaust , history , political science , law , judaism , literature , archaeology , jewish studies , art , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , combinatorics
This book review examines The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge by Ilan Pappe. As a “new historian” Pappe challenges traditional versions of Israeli history. He illustrates Israel’s creation as a colonial conquest rather than the prevailing national liberation movement. In particular, he examines the role that Zionism has played in shaping dominant political ideology in Israel. Pappe critically evaluates the evolution of Zionism narratives from classical, post-Zionism to neo-Zionism. He successfully illustrates the importance Zionism has played throughout the genesis of Israel by highlighting examples such as the 1947 UN partition resolution, the Holocaust, it’s role in furthering cultural tensions between Israelis and Arabs inhabitants, and presence in the media.