An Introduction to World Zionist Thought

In this course, students will be exposed to a range of different ideas and movements that, together, constitute(d) “Zionism.” Although Israel is frequently in the news, the ideology that lies, in many ways, at the heart of Israeli politics and society is often represented in simplistic – even superficial or inaccurate – terms. Far more than a mere example of “nationalism,” Zionism has variously been interwoven with struggles over land, labor, gender, religion, and identity in not only Palestine/Israel, but also North Africa, East Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, Europe, the Americas, and beyond.

Throughout the semester, students will read both primary and secondary sources in order to understand Zionism in its myriad meanings. Part I of the course will explore some of the basic tenets and debates of Zionism, with a focus on ideas prominent in the early twentieth century, such as socialism and Hebraism. Part II of the course will examine the ways in which Zionist ideas conceived in the Ottoman Empire and Europe diverged and took on new and renewed meaning as the Zionist movement reached global dimensions.