Abstract

Mass communication has long been recognized as an important contributor to national identity and nation building. This book examines the relationship between media and nationalism in Israel, arguing that, in comparison to other countries, the Israeli case is unique. It explores the roots and evolution of newspapers, journalism, radio, television, and the debut of the Internet on both the cultural and the institutional levels, and examines milestones in the socio-political development of Hebrew and Israeli mass communication. In evaluating the technological changes in the media, the book shows how such shifts contribute to segmentation and fragmentation in the age of globalization.
 

“Soffer's book is the result of extensive and painstaking research, and it bears witness to the author's thorough familiarity with relevant theories of sociology and communication, as well as of the subject matter. The volume contains a comprehensive bibliography, and a detailed index… Soffer's well researched book is a welcome addition to communication studies as well as to the history of Zionism and Israeli society.” · Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online

Oren Soffer is Head of the Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication at the Open University of Israel. He has been recently a visiting scholar in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies program, and held a lecturer position at the University of Manchester. He has published extensively in the fields of media theory and history.