GIRLS EXPERIENCES OF ARTISTIC AMBITION - THE VOICES OF A RELIGIOUS ZIONIST AND A KIBBUTZNIK

This article explores the gendered artistic ambition of adolescent gir ls as it is constructed in two divergent Israeli communities: religiou s Zionist and kibbutz. Listening to the voices of two young women who relate their experiences, hopes, desires, and conflicts, the authors d educe how each reproduces, struggles with, and resists conceptions of gender, sexuality, and artistic performance that prevail in her commun ity Although the girls share a romantic view of the modem girl/woman, divorced from implications of gender and sexuality their experiences a nd interpretations of womanhood and self-realization diverge dramatica lly. By exploring these individual worlds of artistic ambition, anchor ed in two local cultural settings, the authors contribute to the growi ng understanding of girlhood in context.