To have a culture of our own: on Israeliness and its variants

Hebrewism, Globalized Israeliness and Mizrakhiut are examined as three majo r variants of Israeliness that struggle between them over dominance in the Israeli field of national culture. By discussing typical styles of literatu re and popular music associated with each variant, it is demonstrated how e ach is committed, albeit in a different way, to the belief in the idea of ' one nation - one culture', and to the construction of one, unique 'Israeli Culture'. Israel serves as a case to support a general argument about conte mporary national cultures being a 'Bourdieusian' field in which invented tr adition, global culture and sub-national/'ethnic' culture are the major typ es of positions, struggling between them to define the dominant national cu ltural capital.