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The idea of the kibbutz

Josephson, Anders LU (2026) STVM25 20252
Department of Political Science
Abstract (Swedish)
A central dimension of the conflict between Israel and Palestine concerns territorial claims and the ways in which these claims are legitimised to both domestic and international audiences. In this regard, the kibbutz is arguably the most interesting settlement form, as it has both facilitated Israeli territorial claims and attracted admiration internationally for its unique communal structure along traditional socialist ideals, with shared labor and equal income. This special cultural status seems to have overshadowed the kibbutz’ often unflattering and violent historical role in displacing the Arab population. In order to critically examine this special positioning, and its role in Israeli nation-building, this study applies a critical... (More)
A central dimension of the conflict between Israel and Palestine concerns territorial claims and the ways in which these claims are legitimised to both domestic and international audiences. In this regard, the kibbutz is arguably the most interesting settlement form, as it has both facilitated Israeli territorial claims and attracted admiration internationally for its unique communal structure along traditional socialist ideals, with shared labor and equal income. This special cultural status seems to have overshadowed the kibbutz’ often unflattering and violent historical role in displacing the Arab population. In order to critically examine this special positioning, and its role in Israeli nation-building, this study applies a critical discourse analysis on texts and films produced by major Zionist political institutions, exploring how the kibbutz is discursively constructed. The analysis shows that while the material contains different representations of the kibbutz, depending on the institution that produced it, the texts and films ultimately legitimise Israel’s territorial claims. The study thereby contributes to the understanding of how the kibbutz is employed in processes of Zionist nation-building through knowledge production, encompassing both geopolitical and economic motives. (Less)
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author
Josephson, Anders LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
The discursive construction of a unique mode of settlement and its contribution to Israeli nation-building
course
STVM25 20252
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
kibbutz, nation-building, critical discourse analysis, Zionism, knowledge production
language
English
id
9217032
date added to LUP
2026-01-26 16:09:52
date last changed
2026-01-26 16:09:52
@misc{9217032,
  abstract     = {{A central dimension of the conflict between Israel and Palestine concerns territorial claims and the ways in which these claims are legitimised to both domestic and international audiences. In this regard, the kibbutz is arguably the most interesting settlement form, as it has both facilitated Israeli territorial claims and attracted admiration internationally for its unique communal structure along traditional socialist ideals, with shared labor and equal income. This special cultural status seems to have overshadowed the kibbutz’ often unflattering and violent historical role in displacing the Arab population. In order to critically examine this special positioning, and its role in Israeli nation-building, this study applies a critical discourse analysis on texts and films produced by major Zionist political institutions, exploring how the kibbutz is discursively constructed. The analysis shows that while the material contains different representations of the kibbutz, depending on the institution that produced it, the texts and films ultimately legitimise Israel’s territorial claims. The study thereby contributes to the understanding of how the kibbutz is employed in processes of Zionist nation-building through knowledge production, encompassing both geopolitical and economic motives.}},
  author       = {{Josephson, Anders}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The idea of the kibbutz}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}