The Changing Landscape of Israeli Archaeology: Between Hegemony and Marginalization

This book explores the development of Israeli archaeological research, considering historical, sociological, and political contexts. It argues that archaeological knowledge became a hegemonic discipline after the establishment of the State of Israel, but the liberalization of political culture in the late 1970s led to a more democratized discipline. The author uses in-depth interviews and documents from the Israel State Archives to examine various fields of research, including Near Eastern archaeology, religious Jewish society, Israel/Palestine relations, and the status of women in Israel. The book's comparative approach can be applied to other societies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 126 pages
Publication date: 31 July 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate connections between archaeology and Israeli society, offering a comprehensive examination of the development of Israeli archaeological research. By taking into account historical, sociological, and political contexts, the author employs a Foucauldian framework of power and knowledge to explore the evolving landscape of archaeological knowledge in Israel.

The author begins by examining archaeological knowledge as a hegemonic discipline, emphasizing its role in shaping the national Zionist identity following the establishment of the State of Israel. However, the book also acknowledges the liberalization of political culture in the late 1970s, which paved the way for a more democratized archaeological discipline. Through in-depth interviews with archaeologists from diverse groups within Israeli society and access to documents from the Israel State Archives (ISA), the book explores a wide range of research areas, including Near Eastern archaeology, religious Jewish society, Israel/Palestine relations, and the status of women in Israel.

While the book focuses specifically on the sociology of Israeli archaeology, its comparative approach, which highlights the mirroring of social processes and the archaeological discipline, has broader implications for understanding other societies. This insightful work will appeal to researchers and students in the fields of archaeology, sociology, Israel Studies, as well as to readers with a general interest in the archaeology of the Holy Land.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032487144