Conscripted realities – military and society in Israel
October 11 – October 13, 2011, University of Amsterdam
During three days of discussions, exhibitions and film screenings, gate48 would like to introduce innovative perspectives on the militarization of Israeli society and culture. Militarism is part of everyday life in Israel, closely linked to the ongoing reality of armed conflict and occupation. As a result, militaristic approaches to the conflict have become dominant, while feminist critiques and other alternative voices have been ignored or dismissed. Conscripted Realities aims to bring forth these voices in order to examine how the military and civil society interact in the formation of the national subject. Academics and activists from Israel will discuss the topic from various angles, including the economic aspects of militarization, the militarization of education and media, and the effects of militarization on gendered and ethnic minorities in their struggles for equality. The symposium is accompanied by a digital exhibition “Making Militarism Visible”, curated by the Israeli feminist organization New Profile. The exhibition reveals the subtle but strong influence of militarism on Israeli popular culture.
PROGRAMTuesday | October 11
Opening event: CREA
20:00 – 20:15 | Opening remarks
Dr. Erella Grassiani, VU University Amsterdam, gate48
20:15 – 22:00 | Breaking the Silence: Testimonies of Soldiers from the Israeli Occupation
Noam Hayut, co-founder of Breaking the Silence
Discussant: Dr. Orna Sasson-Levy, Chair of the department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bar-Ilan University
Wednesday | October 12
Symposium: University of Amsterdam – VOC-zaal
9:30 – 9:45 | Opening remarks
Noa Roei, University of Amsterdam, gate48
9:45 – 11:15 | Session I: The Making of Military Minds: Militarism in Education and Media
Abir Kopty, activist, media analyst and consultant
Militarism, Patriarchy and Elitism in Israeli Media
Rela Mazali, author and independent scholar, co-founder of the New Profile movement to demilitarize Israel, co-founder of the arms control project “Gun Free Kitchen Tables”:
Disappearing Choice or How I Was Educated to Believe There Wasn’t Any
Chair and discussant: Dr. Robin Celikates, Associate Professor of Political and
Social Philosophy, University of Amsterdam
11:30 – 13:00 | Session II: Equal Duties, Equal Rights? Gender Politics in a Militarized Society
Dr. Orna Sasson-Levy, Chair of the department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bar-Ilan University:
Militarism from a Gendered Perspective: The Meaning of Military Service in Israeli
Women’s Life Course
Inna Michaeli, Coalition of Women for Peace:
From “No Pride in the Occupation” to the Current “Pinkwashing” Debate: LGBT
Politics and Militarism in Israel
Chair and discussant: Aylin Kuryel, PhD candidate at the Amsterdam School for
Cultural Analysis, University of Amsterdam
14:00 – 15:30 | Session III: The Security Business: Soldiers without Uniforms
Galit Gelbort, PhD candidate, Dep. of Politics and Government, Ben Gurion University:
Evolutions of Israeli Control of the Palestinian Population: From Checkpoint to the New Privatized Crossing
Dr. Erella Grassiani, VU University Amsterdam, gate48:
How to use Occupation Skills for a Profit: Israeli Combatant Experience as a Brand
Chair and discussant: Rela Mazali, author and independent scholar
15:30 – 16:00 | Roundtable and concluding remarks
Thursday | October 13, 2011
Public discussion: Humanity House, Prinsegracht 8, Den Haag
17:00 | Breaking the Silence: Testimonies of Soldiers from the Israeli
Occupation
Discussion with Noam Hayut, co-founder of Breaking the Silence
Final Event: Mezrab, Domselaerstraat 120, Amsterdam
20:30 | Introduction
Itamar Shachar, gate48
20:40 | Film screening: “A Million Bullets in October”