
Obligation in Exile
The Jewish Diaspora, Israel and Critique
Ilan Zvi Baron(Author)
Edinburgh University Press
Published on 22. December 2014
Book
Hardback
312 pages
978-0-7486-9230-9 (ISBN)
Description
Combining political theory and sociological interviews spanning four countries, Israel, the USA, Canada and the UK, Ilan Zvi Baron explores the Jewish Diaspora/Israel relationship and suggests that instead of looking at Diaspora Jews' relationship with Israel as a matter of loyalty, it is one of obligation. Baron develops an outline for a theory of transnational political obligation and, in the process, provides an alternative way to understand and explore the Diaspora/Israel relationship than one mired in partisan debates about whether or not being a good Jew means supporting Israel. He concludes by arguing that critique of Israel is not just about Israeli policy, but about what it means to be a Diaspora Jew.
Reviews / Votes
At once a thought-provoking account of transnational political obligation and a sure-footed consideration of the fraught terrain on which Jewish-Israeli relations unfold. Not all will find Baron's notion of obligation persuasive; yet the book opens fresh ground for academics seeking to balance normatively-inflected political analysis against critical self-reflection, and - it is to be hoped - among Jews and Israelis seeking to reflect upon, and make sense of, their own affiliations and ambivalences. -- Daniel J. Levine, Department of Political Science, The University of Alabama The book presents an impressive multidisciplinary approach which includes, among others, a critical reading of the philosophical literature on political obligation, an analysis of Arendt and Foucault on power and identity, an engagement with the burgeoning transnationalism literature in international relations (IR) and ethnographic interviews with Jews in North America, Europe and Israel. -- Lior Erez, University of Cambridge * Political Studies Review * In an era of narrowing scientification this book is a marvel. Analysing the relations of Jewish ?Diasporas with Israel, Dr Baron courageously adopts a multidisciplinary perspective. He skilfully combines political theory, sociology and international relations theory to illuminate ?contemporary empirical and theoretical concerns like identity, power, transnationalism, obligation and critique. -- Piki Ish-Shalom, The Hebrew University of JerusalemMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7486-9230-9 (9780748692309)
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Additional editions

E-Book
12/2014
Edinburgh University Press
€20.49
Available for download

E-Book
12/2014
1st Edition
Edinburgh University Press
€0.00
Available for download
Person
Ilan Zvi Baron is Lecturer in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University.
Author
Lecturer in the School of Government and International AffairsDurham University
Content
1: The Limits of Political Obligation; 2: Power and Obligation; 3: Between Zion and Diaspora: internationalisms, transnationalisms, obligation and security; 4: From Eating Hummus to the Sublime; 5: Obligation and Critique; Conclusion: Obligation in Exile, Critique and the Future of the Jewish Diaspora