Bereavement and Commemoration as a building block in Israel’s collective Identity
Okładka czasopisma Humaniora. Czasopismo Internetowe, tom 49, nr 1, rok 2025
PDF (English)

Słowa kluczowe

tożsamość społeczna
żałoba i upamiętnienie
trauma historyczna
Izrael

Jak cytować

Tixell, E. S. (2025). Bereavement and Commemoration as a building block in Israel’s collective Identity. Humaniora. Czasopismo Internetowe, 49(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.14746/h.2025.1.3

Abstrakt

In October 2023, Hamas carried out a terrorist attack on Israel, resulting in many casualties among the Israeli population, followed by 1300 funerals. This was a horrifying event in the history of the State of Israel, but not the only one, and it appears that cumulative impact of wars, conflicts, and losses over several decades has profoundly shaped Israelis’ collective identity. These events have left a lasting imprint on the nation’s socio-cultural landscape. This article explores the complex relationship between individual experiences of loss and the formation of collective identity in contemporary Israeli society, with a particular focus on the roles of bereavement and commemoration. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 30 participants who had not lost first-degree relatives, they had experienced the deaths of friends, neighbors, military colleagues, or classmates. Additionally, an online survey with open-ended questions was administered to 132 individuals who had lost first-degree kin over the past 50 years. The article traces the evolution of bereavement practices, highlighting the influence of collective memory and trauma on Israeli identity. Drawing on Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), the analysis examines how individuals categorize themselves based on shared experiences of bereavement, incorporating concepts of social categorization, comparison, and group membership. Insights from Cultural Trauma Theory (Alexander, 2004) further illuminate the lasting effects of war and loss on Israeli identity. Collective Memory, as examined by Halbwachs (1992), Olick (1998), and Schwartz (1992), emerges as a key factor in fostering resilience and a shared national identity. The conclusion enhances understanding of how historical traumas shape cultural narratives, influencing both individual perceptions and societal ethos. The article discusses the implications for Israeli collective identity and offers recommendations for future research. It provides valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and others interested in the intricate interplay between bereavement, commemoration, and collective identity in contemporary Israeli society.

https://doi.org/10.14746/h.2025.1.3
PDF (English)

Bibliografia

Alexander J.C., Eyerman R., Giesen B., Smelser N.J., & Sztompka P., Cultural trauma and collective identity. University of California Press, 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520936768

Bar-Tal D., Shared beliefs in a society: Social psychological analysis, Sage 2000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452204697

Creswell J.W., & Poth C.N., Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five ap-proaches, Sage, 2016.

Glasner-Heled G., Pursuing memory and elusive memory: A brief look at Israeli bereavement, “Social Issues in Israel” 2018, no. 25, 28–63( Hebrew), http://www.jstor.org/stable/27058882 [access date: 20.10.2024].

Halbwachs M., The Social Frameworks of Memory, transl. L.A. Coser, University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Halbwachs M., On collective memory. University of Chicago Press, 2020.

Handelman D., & E. Katz, State ceremonies of Israel: Remembrance Day and independence day, “Israeli Judaism: The sociology of religion in Israel” 1995, no. 7.

Herman J.L., Trauma and Recovery, Basic Books, 1992.

Hogg M.A., & Abrams, D. (1988). Social Identifications: A Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations and Group Processes. Routledge.

Kimmerling B., The Invention and Decline of Israeliness: State, Society, and the Military, University of California Press, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520939301

Kolk B.A. van der, The body keeps the score: Memory and the evolving psychobiology of posttraumatic stress, “Harvard Review of Psychiatry” 1994, no. 1(5). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3109/10673229409017088

Lebel U., Panopticon of death: Institutional design of bereavement, “Acta Sociologica” 2011, no. 54(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0001699311422089

Memory and identity: The history of a relationship, in Commemorations: The politics of national identity, ed. J.R. Gillis, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 1994.

Ministry of Environmental Protection, National Parks, Nature Reserves, National Sites and Memorial Sites Law., 1998, https://www.gov.il/en/pages/national_parks_nature_reserves_law [access date: 20.04.2024].

Olick J.K., & Robbins J., Social memory studies: From “collective memory” to the historical sociology of mnemonic practices, “Annual Review of sociology” 1998, no. 24(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.105

Rabinowitz A., The IDF will allow secular and reform ceremonies to be held at military funerals (Hebrew), Haaretz News Paper, (2019, July 4, https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/law/2019-07-04/ty-article/.premium/0000017f-e80a-dc7e-adff-f8afe9cc0000 [access date: 20.04.2024].

Schwartz B., Memory, Identity, and Diaspora: Voices of Cuban-American Artists, Writers, and Philosophers, University of Delaware Press, 1992.

Schwartz B., Fukuoka K., & Takita‐Ishii S., Collective memory: Why culture matters, The Blackwell companion to the sociology of culture, Blackwell Publishing 2005.

Smith A.D., National Identity, University of Nevada Press, 1991.

Smooha S., Index of Arab-Jewish Relations in Israel 2003, Haifa: The Jewish-Arab Center, University of Haifa, 2004.

Southwick S.M., Bonanno G.A., Masten A.S., Panter-Brick C., & Yehuda R., Resilience definitions, theory, and challenges: interdisciplinary perspectives, “European Journal of Psychotraumatology” 2014, no. 5(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v5.25338

Tajfel H., & Turner J.C., The social identity theory of intergroup behavior, in Political psychology: Key readings, eds. J.T. Jost, & J. Sidanius, Psychology Press 2004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203505984-16

Tajfel H., Turner, J.C., Austin, W.G., & Worchel, S., An integrative theory of intergroup conflict, “Organizational identity: A reader” 1979, no. 56(65). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780199269464.003.0005

The Knesset website (n.d.), Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers, https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/about/lexicon/pages/memorialday.aspx [access date: 20.04.2024].

Vinitzky-Seroussi V., Commemorating a Difficult Past: Yitzhak Rabin’s Memorials, “American Sociological Review” 2002, no. 67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3088932

Walter T., The mourning after Hillsborough, “Bereavement Care” 1998, no. 17(1).

Winter J., Sites of memory, sites of mourning: The Great War in European cultural history. Cambridge University Press, 1995.

Winter J., Memory in Mind and Culture: Historians and Sites of Memory, Washington University, St. Louis 2009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511626999.015