Aharon Amir (1923-2008)
Open Access DepositedAn Intellectual Biography
An Intellectual Biography This Ph.D. thesis explores the life and literary, as well as political, work of Aharon Amir (1923-2008) in pre-state Palestine and Israel. Amir was a Hebrew author, poet, and political activist who sought to create a new Hebrew state that would include a coalition of the ancient Semitic peoples. Amir’s work stands in a critical cross-section combining the History of Palestine/Israel, Middle Eastern History, Hebrew pre-state right-wing political margins, and Palestine/Israel’s literary scene. While Amir was an influential figure in the ‘Young Hebrews’ or ‘Canaanites’ movement, an early anti-Zionist right-wing literary and political group, and Israel’s literary scene, his work and life remain unexplored. Studying his work and life highlights critical events in Middle Eastern and the history of Israel/Palestine, such as the cultivation of political and cultural relations with non-Muslim minorities in the Middle East, which played a part in the 1982 Lebanon war, the rise of post-1948 literature as a critique against the newly established state of Israel, Right-Wing ideology, Primordial Hebrew nationalism, and the connection between ideology and literature in Israeli history. Hence, this thesis asks to contextualize Amir’s literary and political work on the backdrop of the history of Israel/Palestine and the emerging right-wing anti-Zionism in pre- and post-state Palestine-Israel. Despite Amir's central role in the Young Hebrews Movement, the Israeli literary scene, and right-wing politics, a dedicated academic study of his life and work has yet to be published. Drawing on extensive archival materials, private journals, and interviews, it situates Amir’s work at the intersection of Israel/Palestine history, Middle Eastern minority politics, and Hebrew literary culture. The study reveals how his work brought together literature and ideology, shaped visions of a primordial Hebrew–Semitic state, and the notion of a Middle Eastern minority pact.
Aharon Amir (1923-2008)
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Krischer_gwu_0075A_17825.pdf | 2026-06-24 | Open Access |
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