Arab Soccer in a Jewish State: The Integrative Enclave (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies) [Hardcover]

Tamir Sorek (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cambridge Cultural Social Studies | Publication Date: July 23, 2007

Over the last two decades soccer has become a major institution within the popular culture of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel. They have attained disproportionate success in this field. Given their marginalisation from many areas of Israeli society as well as the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such a prominent Arab presence highlights the tension between their Israeli citizenship and their belonging to the Palestinian people. Bringing together sociological, anthropological and historical approaches, Sorek examines how soccer can potentially be utilised by ethnic and national minorities as a field of social protest, a stage for demonstrating distinctive identity, or as a channel for social and political integration. Relying on a rich combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, he argues that equality in the soccer sphere legitimises contemporary inequality between Jews and Arabs in Israel and pursues wider arguments about the role of sport in ethno-national conflicts. Ideal for researchers and graduate students.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a surprising story of the only sphere in which Arab-Israeli relations do not seem to be in crisis. Sorek has written a subtle and apparently non-partisan account of the lace of Arabs in the Jewish state. Thanks to its refreshingly clear prose, this book should have an appeal beyond specialists in the field." - Simon Kuper, author of Football Against the Enemy

"Sorek's style and construction of arguments are engaging and accessible, and the book provides an excellent introduction to soccer in Israel.... It will become recommended reading to students and scholars interested in both the specific topic of Israel and the broader relationship between soccer and society." - Daniel Burdsey, University of Brighton, American Journal of Sociolgy

"The book is valuable when viewing Arab-Israeli relationships because it give us a shining example of one success.... we should be happy that at least one, albeit limited, area of the subject has been explored extensively." - Middle East Quarterly

Book Description

The growing success of Arab soccer teams and players in Israel highlights fundamental tensions and contradictions in Israeli collective identity and in Arab-Jewish relations. This book analyses the political significance of sport in ethno-national conflicts and argues that equality in the soccer sphere legitimises contemporary inequality between Jews and Arabs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (July 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521870488
• ISBN-13: 978-0521870481
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tamir Sorek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Florida. He is the author of 'Arab Soccer in a Jewish State: The Integrative Enclave' (Cambridge University Press, 2007), and published extensively on Israeli society and Arab-Jewish relations in Israel.
website: plaza.ufl.edu/tsorek/