Anat First

When the “Holy Land” Turns into Real Estate: National Identity, Globalization/Americanization, and Representation of the Land in Israeli Advertising

This article aims to broaden the discourse on national identity as a social and cultural construct by revealing the fluidity of its most fundamental symbol—the land. This discussion is extremely relevant in the cases of small countries living under the custody of globalization, primarily Americanization. While most noticeable scholars who write about national identity focus on “high” and “official” culture, we suggest looking at one of the most prominent products of popular culture—advertisement. This study utilizes qualitative analysis, based on a semiotic interpretation using 489 Israeli advertisements as the stage performing of “banal nationalism.” Looking at two broad categories, national symbols and spatial identity, we found a new real estate discourse in which Americanicity is an integral part of the neo-liberal discourse in Israeli society. In other words, the motherland turns into real estate.

Combining the representation approach with the framing concept: Television news coverage of the Arab population in Israel during conflict

This article examines the portrayal of Israel’s Arab population in the Hebrew media, with particular attention to coverage by the national television channels of two violent incidents: events surrounding the first Land Day (30 March 1976) and events of the protests in October 2000, at the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Our purpose is twofold: first, to explore how Israeli Arabs are portrayed during violent conflict, and, second, to examine the means of presentation in terms of a time frame, in accordance with the view that the presentation process is dynamic. The research relied primarily on qualitative analysis of media content, but attention was also paid to the quantitative aspects of the coverage. Here we used two complementary theories — the representation approach and the framing concept. At the core of both these theories lies the constructionist approach, which serves as their point of origin.

Can a Regulator Change Representation of Minority Groups and Fair Reflection of Cultural Diversity in National Media Programs? Lessons From Israel

Studies show that coverage of minority and marginal groups in the central-national media is problematic. As a result, in the last decade, regulators—mainly in Europe—encouraged more proper media representation of minority groups and fair reflection of the cultural diversity. Analyzing the Israeli case study, this article examines whether the Israeli regulator succeeded in effecting changes in the representation of minority groups in Israels national-commercial media, and the characteristics of these changes.

“No Home Away From Home”: The Discourse of Home in Ads for Third-Age Housing

The study examines shifts in the concept of “home” by analyzing the discourse in ads for third-age housing. These ads offer an opportunity to examine the ways in which alternative perceptions of the “sense of place” are presented. The ads were mapped and categorized according to their position on an axis representing changes in the attitude of the elderly population in Israel to the concept of home, with the two poles defined as “building a home” and “dismantling a home.” Analysis focused on the specific aspect of moving away from home. This discourse contains two interconnected levels, the private home and the national home, which interact on four dimensions: (1) Physical—reference to the dwelling itself; (2) Social—reference to the role of family, friends, and social activities offered; (3) Cultural—reference to the leisure activities offered; and (4) Economic—reference to the residence as a property.

Land of milk and honey: Israeli landscapes and flora on banknotes

ABSTRACT In times of geopolitical shifts, banknotes as symbolic objects are still playing a central role in the constitution and consolidation of nationhood. Using Israeli banknotes – which are means of banal nationalism and every-day nationalism – as a case study we wish to illuminate the role of the hegemonic institution of national banknotes in creating a selective tradition that organizes symbols related to flora as signifying a certain ‘territorial identity’. We used the qualitative methodology and analyzed relevant minutes of proceedings and correspondence of the Bank of Israel’s Banknotes and Coinage Planning Committee in Jerusalem, from 1955 to 2007.

Public relations and nation building: influencing Israel

The study of the history of mass communication research began only in the 1980s, and is still in its infancy. The massive downsizing of higher education budgets in the USA during these years put on...