The Men We Loved : Male Friendship and Nationalism in Israeli Culture

Some Semi-public, Exclusive Male Settings, Most Noticeably In The Military, Encourage The Production Of Intimacy And Desire. Yet Whereas In Most Instances This Desire Is Displaced Through Humor And Aggressive Gestures, It Becomes Acknowledged And Outright Declared Once Associated With Sites Of Heroic Death. In His Provocative Study Of Interrelations Between Friendship In Everyday Life And National Sentiments In Israel, The Author Follows Selected Stories Of Friendship Ranging Over Early Childhood, School, The Workplace, And Some Unique War Experiences. He Explores The Symbolism Of Friendship In Rituals For The Fallen Soldiers, The Commemoration Of Prime Minister Yzhak Rabin, And The National Infatuation With Recovering Bodies Of Missing Soldiers. He Concludes That The Israeli Case Offers An Extreme Instance Of A Much Broader Cultural Phenomenon: Declaring The Friendship For The Dead Epitomizes The Political Blood Pact Between Men, Taking Precedence Over The Traditional Blood Ties Of Kinship And Heterosexual Unions. The Book Underscores Nationalism As A Homosocial-based Emotion Of Commemorative Desire.--publisher's Website. Ch. 1. Case Of Fraternal Friendship -- Ch. 2. Re'ut : Friendship In Zionist Ideology -- Ch. 3. History And Destiny : Friendship Narratives -- Ch. 4. Two Styles Of Sharing : The Hevreman And The Intellectual -- Ch. 5. Public Intimacy And The Miscommuncation Of Desire -- Ch. 6. David, Jonathan, And Other Soldiers : The Hegemonic Script For Male Bonding -- Ch. 7. Shalom, Haver : Commemoration As Desire -- Discussion : Nationalism, Friendship, And Commemorative Desire -- App. I. Studying A National Emotion. Danny Kaplan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [163]-172) And Index. Annotation Some semi-public, exclusive male settings, most noticeably in the military, encourage the production of intimacy and desire. Yet whereas in most instances this desire is displaced through humor and aggressive gestures, it becomes acknowledged and outright declared once associated with sites of heroic death. In his provocative study of interrelations between friendship in everyday life and national sentiments in Israel, the author follows selected stories of friendship ranging over early childhood, school, the workplace, and some unique war experiences. He explores the symbolism of friendship in rituals for the fallen soldiers, the commemoration of Prime Minister Yzhak Rabin, and the national infatuation with recovering bodies of missing soldiers. He concludes that the Israeli case offers an extreme instance of a much broader cultural phenomenon: declaring the friendship for the dead epitomizes the political "blood pact" between men, taking precedence over the traditional blood ties of kinship and heterosexual unions. The book underscores nationalism as a homosocial-based emotion of commemorative desire Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page ix) Prologue (page xi) Part I: Friendship and Ideology (page 1) Chapter 1: The Case of Fraternal Friendship (page 3) Chapter 2: Re'ut: Friendship in Zionist Ideology (page 14) Part II: Friendship in Everyday Life (page 27) Chapter 3: History and Destiny: Friendship Narratives (page 29) Chapter 4: Two Styles of Sharing: The Hevreman and the Intellectual (page 57) Chapter 5: Public Intimacy and the Miscommunication of Desire (page 73) Part III: Sacred Friendship (page 95) Chapter 6: David, Jonathan, and Other Soldiers: The Hegemonic Script for Male Bonding (page 98) Chapter 7: "Shalom, haver": Commemoration as Desire (page 120) Discussion: Nationalism, Friendship, and Commemorative Desire (page 143) Appendix I: Studying a National Emotion (page 152) Appendix II: Table of Interviewees (page 161) Bibliography (page 163) Follows selected stories of friendship ranging over early childhood, school, the workplace, and some unique war experiences. This book explores the symbolism of friendship in rituals for the fallen soldiers, the commemoration of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the national infatuation with recovering bodies of missing soldiers. Friendship is often viewed as a relatively free-floating social form, when compared to kinship and contractual (hereto)sexual ties.