Synopses & Reviews
The ideal of democratic socialist egalitarianism was put into practice by the kibbutz. These authors see it as the perfect laboratory for research on egalitarianism. Seeking an answer to the question, Can well planned democratic socialist egalitarian communities thrive economically, govern themselves effectively, and succeed in passing on their value system to successive generations?,
The Second Generation presents extensive and systematic research conducted, between 1969 and 1976, by the Givat Haviva Institute for Social Research and the Research Institute of Ichud. Hakvutzot Vehakibbutzim (now part of TAKAM). This study addresses itself primarily to continuity and to a comparison of values and goals between founders and second generation Kibbutz members, while it sheds equal light on many other issues. Its extensive data and rich theoretical discussion will be a valuable resource for social and political scientists as well as moral philosophers.
This is a critical study of second generation kibbutz members, their status, personal aspirations, relationship to the kibbutz, their philosophy of life, and their attitude toward the first generation. The future of the kibbutz movement is dependent on answers to these questions--on whether or not the second generation is satisfied with its home. Fourteen essays ask such questions as: How does the second generation define itself in regard to national identity? What are their roles in effecting changes? Are they prepared to forego communal values for the sake of rapid economic progress? Did their kibbutz education prepare them to defend these values? This study's principal concern is to determine the factors that will predict if second generation kibbutz members will remain in their kibbutzim. The book concludes with a theoretical model for predicting attachments.
Synopsis
Can a well planned democratic socialist egalitarian community thrive economically, govern itself effectively, and pass on its value system to the successive generations? Presenting the extensive research of a study conducted between 1969 and 1976, The Second Generation answers this critical question. It addresses itself primarily to continuity; a comparison of values and goals between 1st and 2nd generation kibbutz members; and sheds light on many other issues. The extensive data and rich theoretical discussions are a valuable resource for social and political scientists and moral philosophers.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [447]-459) and index.
About the Author
MENACHEM ROSNER is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Haifa, Israel, and is currently the Chairman of the Israeli Sociological Society.ITZHAK BEN DAVID is a freelance researcher specializing in planning of development in peripheral areas and in social change in Israeli society.ALEXANDER AVNAT (deceased) was a senior researcher in the Institute for Research of the Kibbutz Artzi Federation.NENI COHEN is a senior researcher in the Institute for Research of the Kibbutz and the Cooperative Idea.URI LEVIATAN is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Haifa.
Table of Contents
Foreword
The Problem of Generations in the Kibbutz and Possible Explanations
The Ideology/Reality Gap and the Mission of the Kibbutz
Views Towards Israel: The Jewish Diaspora and the Arabs
The Kibbutz Definition of Socialism and Israeli Society
Political Ideology and the Effect of Education on its Continuity
Factors Influencing Ideological Continuity
Fulfilling Individual Needs in the Kibbutz Workplace
Educational and Training Ambitions--Expectations and Realizations
Public Activity in the Kibbutz
Attitudes Toward Family
Social and Interpersonal Relations
Social Status and Interaction
Achievement and Failures in Generational Relations
The Theoretical Model for Predicting Attachment
Epilogue
Appendixes
Bibliography
Index