Democratic Culture, Volume 10: Gender and Society in Israel

This issue of the periodical Democratic Culture, which is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dafna Izraeli, contains feminist studies that examine the situation of women in Israel. Although the collection is multi-disciplinary, the nature of the subject dictates that most of the articles are closely linked to sociology and law, although they are not limited by the traditional division of disciplines. For example, legal discussions are closely linked to sociology, the sociological analyses draw on cultural history, the literary approach is based on ideas taken from sociology, and the discussion of education also includes cultural and psychological insights.

The articles in this volume expound on many aspects of women’s life in Israel today and examine the way in which gender dictates their way of life and place in society, politics, the workplace, legal status, the media, education, religious life, and culture. The discussion is not limited to the fields in which Prof. Izraeli specialized; rather, the goal was to expand the areas covered to include diverse aspects of women’s lives and their status in Israeli society today, while creating a broad and synchronic picture. Because the authors also tried to highlight diachronic processes that led to the status of women in Israel today, some of the articles deal with the historical basis for the place of women in Israeli society. Another topic discussed in several articles is the Israeli feminist movement and various feminist battles, some of which were led by Prof. Izraeli.