Individualism vs. National Coherence: The Current Discourse on Sovereignty, Citizenship and Loyalty

LIKE OTHER WESTERN DEMOCRACIES, ISRAEL is experiencing profound processes of change. Such processes are evident in the physical, cultural, social, political, and economic spheres. The following are some apparent, but characteristic, examples of changes that have occurred in Israel: I. The physical sphere--As a result of the much increased population and its concentration on the coastal plain, which necessitated massive road construction and extensive private and public housing projects, and as a result of the changing tastes of many Israelis, the landscape, especially in the metropolitan and urban areas, is becoming similar to that in any other modern country in North America, Europe, or South East Asia. 2. The cultural sphere-Architecture, literature, visual arts, and pop music have lost much of their specific Israeli flavor and have become similar to those that are fashionable in other western countries.