Zionism: A History from the 19th Century to the Present

Catalog description

Did early Zionist thinkers envision a Jewish nation-state, or did they imagine alternative political futures? Did all Zionist thinkers understand Zionism in the same way? Did all Jewish leaders support Zionism? Who were the Jewish non-Zionists and the anti-Zionists? This course examines the history of the Zionist idea from its emergence in the late-nineteenth century to the present. It traces the development of the major ideological streams within Zionism and analyzes how these ideas were implemented in political institutions and, ultimately, in statehood. The course also explores non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jewish responses, situating them within their historical and intellectual contexts. Through close reading of primary texts alongside classic and recent scholarship, students will gain a nuanced understanding of Zionism as a modern, evolving, and internally contested ideology.