One Hundred Years of Kibbutz Life: A Century of Crises and Reinvention

Michal Palgi · Shulamit Reinharz

sept 2012 · Transaction Publishers

Acerca de este libro electrónico

The years 1909-2009 mark a century of kibbutz life—one hundred years of achievements, failures, and challenges. It is undeniable that the impact of kibbutzim on Israeli society has been substantial. During its one hundred years of existence, the kibbutz as a concept and as a reality underwent many changes, as did Israel as a whole both before its establishment in 1948 and since then. One Hundred Years of Kibbutz Life describes a host of changes that have occurred and describes their meaning. The kibbutz population has increased in terms of demography and capital, a point that frequently is overlooked in the debate about the institution’s viability. The kibbutz has become a very attractive place for young people who want community life. Like the founders who tried to establish a particular society grounded in certain principles, so too, newcomers to the kibbutz want to establish a new idealistic society with specific social and economic arrangements. The combined voices of the contributors to this volume discuss the ideals, hopes, frustrations, disappointments, and reconstruction efforts that brought a few solutions to the fading kibbutz ideals. These solutions are not always popular among kibbutz members, but they demonstrate growth and development of the kibbutz. Through the inclusion of a variety of studies, this book clarifies the role of this dynamic institution.

Acerca del autor

Michal Palgi, a professor and kibbutz member, is the founding head of the graduate program in organizational development and consulting at the Emek Yezreel College in Israel and the head of the Institute for Research of the Kibbutz and the Cooperative Idea at the University of Haifa. She is author of The Paradox in Partnership. Shulamit Reinharz is Jacob Potofsky Professor of Sociology, founding director of the Women’s Studies Research Center, and founding director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute all at Brandeis University. Some of her works include The JGirl’s Guide, American Jewish Women and the Creation of the State of Israel, and On Becoming a Social Scientist.