1st Edition

The Communal Experience of the Kibbutz

By Joseph Blasi Copyright 1986
    218 Pages
    by Routledge

    220 Pages
    by Routledge

    Joseph Blasidocuments and describes the workings of an existing kibbutz society to provide a model for Utopian thinking and clear up confusion con­cerning Utopian values. He details the history and development of Kibbutz Vatik (a pseudonym), providing a systematic record of kibbutz culture: daily life and social arrangements, economic cooperation and work, politics, edu­cation, and attitudes of community members.Despite its advantages as a model Utopia, the kibbutz is not a perfect soci­ety. Having eliminated the most serious forms of social, economic, political, and educational fragmentation and violence, the communal group is left with the complicated and mounting problems of keeping a fellowship alive and well. Blasi assesses the community's advantages and disadvantages, il­luminating the interlocking dilemmas that cut across social and political con­cerns.The Communal Experience of the Kibbutz updates our knowledge of kibbutz life in light of recent research. It gives a detailed account of the Utopian community in the kibbutz and its activities. The special quality of the kib­butz, Blasi argues, lies not so much in its proven success vis-a-vis other communal societies, but in that it is a communal alternative that most West­ern peoples can readily visualize as a real option.

    Introduction; 1: History and Development; 2: Daily Life and Social Arrangements; 3: Economic Cooperation and Work; 4: Politics and Culture in the Community; 5: Education in the Kibbutz: Creating the Communal Environment for Further Generations; 6: Issues of Personality in Kibbutz Vatik; 7: Conclusion

    Biography

    Joseph Blasi