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Institute for the Study of Modern Israel 1256 Briarcliff Road A-427N Atlanta, GA 30306 404.727.2798 tel 404.727.2441 fax |
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Annual Programs |
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| Stein Lecture Series | Visiting Professors | Robinson Lecture Series | |
This lecture is co-sponsored by the Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, the Department of History, and the German Studies Department. The 11th Annual Max K. and Mathilda W. Stein Lecture Series on Modern Jewish and Israeli History "On the Eve: The Jews of Europe Before the Second World War" Wednesday, March 4, 2009 The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Heather Waters What was the state of European Jewry on the eve of World War II? Even apart from Hitler and Stalin, the prospects for Jewish collective survival in the continent were dim. Many of the processes identified among European Jews in the later part of the century were already present in pre-war Europe: rapid demographic downturn, accelerating social assimilation, secularization, decline of Jewish languages, changes in occupational structure, movement out of areas of high Jewish population density, and loss of Jewish identity. European Jewry, in spite of the continuing vitality of its cultural core groups, was in 1939 already launched on the trajectory towards the post-war vanishing Diaspora. Bernard Wasserstein was born in London in 1948. He received his BA and PhD degrees from Oxford University, which in 2001 awarded him the degree of Doctor of Letters in recognition of his contribution to historical scholarship. He taught at Oxford and Sheffield Universities in England from 1973 to 1979 and at Brandeis University in Massachusetts from 1980 to 1996 where he served as founding director of the Tauber Institute for European Jewry and as Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. From 1996 to 2000 he was President of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He is now Ulrich and Harriet Meyer Professor of Modern European Jewish History at the University of Chicago. His books include The British in Palestine (1978), Britain and the Jews of Europe 1939-1945 (1979), The Secret Lives of Trebitsch Lincoln (1988: Golden Dagger Award for Non-Fiction), Herbert Samuel (1992), Vanishing Diaspora (1996), Secret War in Shanghai (1998), Divided Jerusalem (2001), Israel and Palestine (2003), and Barbarism and Civilization: A History of Europe in Our Time (Oxford University Press, 2007).Lectures to Date: Professor Herbert D. Rosenbaum (May 3, 2007) Professor
Henry Feingold (May 4, 2006) Dr. Michael
A. Meyer (March 29, 2005) Dr.
Marion Kant (March 30, 2004) Dr. Ismar Schorsch,
Chancellor (October 30, 2002) Professor Gerhard
Weinberg (November 29, 2001) Mrs. Mathilda Wertheim
Stein (March 29, 2001) Professor Leonard
Dinnerstein (October 26, 1999) Professor Ronald
Madras (November 12, 1998) Professor David
Sorkin (November 5, 1997) |
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The Robinson lecturer provides presentations in Knoxville and Atlanta. In Knoxville, the lectures are coordinated through The Fern and Manfred Steinfeld Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Tennessee and the Knoxville Jewish Federation. At Emory, they are coordinated through the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel (ISMI) and include Emory and venues in the Atlanta Jewish community.
Scheduling of the Robinson lecture for Knoxville in 2010 has not yet been assigned.
Lectures to Date: Dr. David Tal (February 8, 2008-Knoxville, TN) Dr. David Tal (February 9, 2008-Knoxville, TN) Dr. Paul Rivlin (February 18, 2008- Knoxville, TN) Dr. Michael Feige (April 16, 2007- Knoxville, TN) Dr. David Tal ( November 2, 2005 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Reuven Hazan
(February 11, 2004 - Atlanta, GA) Dr. Reuven Y. Hazan
(October 2, 2003 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Reuven Y. Hazan
(October 1, 2003 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Kenneth W. Stein
(March 28, 2002 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Kenneth W. Stein
(March 29, 2002 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Yaron Ezrahi
(February 18, 2001 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Yaron Ezrahi
(February 19, 2001 - Atlanta) Dr. Uri Bialer (March
5, 2000 - Knoxville, TN) Dr. Uri Bialer (March
7, 2000 - Atlanta) |
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DR. DAVID TAL The History of Israeli Foreign Policy This course will concentrate on Israel's diplomatic history. It will
discuss Israel international orientation in the 1950s', the role of the
diplomats in the pursuit of security alliance with a great power, first
with France and later with the United States; the search for peace and the
diplomats role in the preparation to war, before and after the 1956, 1967 The Great Powers in the Middle East, 1914- Present This course will deal with the creation of the Middle East in its present form, with the entry of the Great Powers to the region after the First World War. It will discuss the rise of the British influence in the region and its decline in the aftermath of the second world war, the rise of Arab nationalism, as a counter force and the growing role and influence of the United States in the area, the turning of the Middle East into a great powers' Cold War battle field, and the role of the decolonization movement in the changing face of the Middle East. DR. DORON SHULTZINER This colloquium looks at developments in Israeli politics, society and
constitutional arrangements from the 1990s until present day. The main
topics that will be covered in the course are the changing agenda and
nature of the Israeli politics, the role of the Israeli Supreme Court in
shaping political realities, new dimensions of political extremism, gender DR. DAVID TAL The Making of the U.S.-Israeli Relationship The course will deal with the buildup and development of the
Israeli-American relationship from the 1940s to the present. The course
will describe the historical roots of the American support to the Zionist
idea in the 19th century, the transfer of the Jewish diplomatic center
from Britain to the US, the ideological roots of the US support of Israel
and its extent, beyond the security dimension and the mutuality of those
relationship, that is, the Israeli input in the creation of the Issues in Israeli National Security National security is a prime issue in Israel, and it was so since its existence. Being established in war, leaving in hostile environment, Israel had to deal with issues pertaining to its national security with the highest priority. The course will focus on several issues pertaining to Israels national security, bringing together military, diplomatic and social issues. We'll study the ideas that provided the basis for the development of Israels national security policy, build up of the IDF and the development of military strategy that were aimed to accomplish the goals of Israel's national security policy; the role of diplomacy in the shaping and conduct of Israel's national security policy; the pursuit of peace and the conduct of wars; military-civic relations in Israel; Israel and the non-conventional threats, nuclear and low-intensity conflicts. DR. DORON SHULTZINER History of Israeli Politics: Institutions & Society This course explores the Israeli political system, its institutional characteristics and components, and its main political dilemmas. The course aims to provide knowledge about Israeli political history and society. Topics included will be the origins and the historical developments of the political system, electoral histories, and government formation. Attention is given to the dynamics between institutional arrangements and social cleavages in Israel and their interrelated effects. The course also discusses some of the main socio-political issues and tensions resulting from the dual definition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, religion and politics, and the effects of armed conflicts on politics and society. The course requires no previous knowledge about Israel. DR. PAUL RIVLIN The Israeli Economy This course traces the history of the pre-independence and modern economy, examining the role of population growth and immigration, problems of inflation and stabilization, the balance of payments and sectoral developments. It analyzes the role of the Histadrut, the defense budget, the economics of the peace process of the 1990s, and Israel's integration into the world economy. The effects of the second Intifada and the current rapid growth of the economy are also examined. The International Oil Market and the Political Economy of the Middle East This course examines the connections between the world's reliance on oil and the political economy of the Middle East. The first part of the course examines world energy markets and their development, with emphasis on the USA. It then places oil consumption into the wider energy context. The rise of China and India as energy consumers is also examined and some environmental issues are analyzed. The second part of the course looks at the Middle East as an oil supplier: what was the role of the West and how renter states have come into being. Economic and strategic conclusions are drawn. DR. DORON SHULTZINER Israeli Society and the Constitution in the Prism of the Law: History and Evolution This course explores the evolution of the constitutional arrangement in Israel. The special role of the Israeli Supreme Court in shaping norms and protecting human rights in the lack of a formal constitution is highlighted. Special attention is given to the interpretation of the concept of ‘human dignity’ in extending the scope of protection to human rights in the 1990s. By way of examining the history and evolution of the Israeli constitutional law, the course also explores some contentious political and social issues that were discussed by the Supreme Court, such as the Jewish character of the state, minority rights, and gender. The course “Israeli Politics: Institutions and Society” is recommended but not obligatory for taking this course. DR. DORON SHULTZINER History of Israeli Politics: Institutions and Society This course explores the Israeli political system, its institutional characteristics and components, and its main political dilemmas. The course aims to provide knowledge about Israeli political history and society. Topics included will be the origins and the development of the political system, electoral histories, and government formation. Attention is given to the dynamics between institutional arrangements and social cleavages in Israel and their interrelated effects. The course also discusses some of the main socio-political issues and tensions resulting from the dual definition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, religion and politics, and the effects of armed conflicts on politics and society. The course requires no previous knowledge about Israel. DR. AMI AYALON The Near East: 1914-Present This course aims to explore the historic foundations and current attributes of Middle Eastern society, politics and culture. We will examine the historic roots from the late Ottoman period to World War II, then move on to analyze major themes in the region's contemporary realities. Topics will include social and demographic trends, state-formation, nationalism, liberalism and democracy, Islamic radicalism and revolt, domestic and inter-Arab relations, the emergence of modern Israel, Turkey, and Iran, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and relations between the states of the region and the rest of the world. Land of Israel 1882-1948: Sources, Narratives, Perspectives This Junior/Senior seminar will examine the pre-1948 history of the country which for Jews is ancestral Eretz Israel and the Arabs call Palestine. We will review the two parties' divergent outlooks at the point of departure, their views of each other, the dialogue/antagonism between them, and political implications throughout this turbulent period. Students will use secondary as well as primary sources, including (to the extent possible) sources in Arabic and Hebrew. We will conclude by assessing the impact of these disparities on later Jewish-Palestinian relations. DR. MICHAEL FEIGE Judaism in Israel: Religion, Politics and Ethnicity Some consider Israel as "the Jewish state," demanding that the state be constructed according to the logic of the Jewish halacha; most Israelis are content to see "the State of the Jews", a place where Jews can hold their identity and strive without fear of persecution. This course will explore the meaning and various manifestations of the intersection between Jewish religion and the State of Israel. The main focus of the course would be on the main Jewish religious communities: the Haredim (Ultra-orthodox), the National Religious and Shas (the Mizrahi Haredim), and the new versions of modern Judaism that are currently developing and expanding. The Israeli case can exemplify how religions encounter the challenges of modernity and nationalism through processes of transformation and accommodation. DR. MICHAEL FEIGE Visions and Divisions: An Introduction to Israeli Society Built on the premises of Zionist ideology, Israeli state and society has to encounter to this day issues of inner and outer conflicts, multiple identity options and social divisions, some focused on the right way to define the national collective. This course will explore processes of identity formation in Israel, concentrating of the ideology, characteristics and social position of major social groups, such as the early Israeli pioneers, the second generation "Sabre", and various religious, national and ethnic groups. The effects of gender identity and of the protracted conflict on forming an Israeli sense of self shall also be discussed. The course portrays the historical development of "Israeliness" through the state years, and reaches issues concerning contemporary Israeli society.
DR. DAVID TAL Great Powers & the Middle East, 1914-Present History of Israeli Foreign Policy DR. DAVID TAL History of Modern Israel History & Politics of Nuclear Disarmament, 1945-Present DR. OFRA BENGIO History of Modern Iraq DR. REUVEN HAZAN Introduction to Comparative Politics Israeli Politics and Society DR. REUVEN HAZAN Israeli Parties and Elections Parties and Elections DR. MEIR LITVAK Modern Iran Radical Islamic Movements in the Modern Middle East DR. MICHAEL BAR-ZOHAR Personalities in Israeli Political History Israeli Foreign and Defense Policies, 1948-Present DR. BRUCE MADDY-WEITZMAN Middle Eastern States DR. BRUCE MADDY-WEITZMAN The Near East, 1914-Present
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