Zionism as Separatism

Introduction

Zionism As Separatism is a musical event organized by Clegg & Guttmann in conjunction with their exhibition in the Kunsthalle Basel. The event will take place on the evening of June 13th in the reading room of the library of the Basel University. The visitors will be invited to wander in the reading area or to sit down and to listen to a team of actors who will read aloud from texts on the topic of Zionism As Separatism which Clegg & Guttmann gathered and placed on various shelves in the reading room.

The general conception of the evening

The evening is an attempt to interpret Zionism in a new way: to present Zionism, as it was developed 100 years ago, as an example of separatism. Zionism originated from a renewed sense of Jewish identity. Many young European Jews who reflected on the new wave of antisemitism began to believe that assimilation was impossible. Their conclusion was that the only way for Jews to survive was to leave Europe and establish a new country. In many ways, Zionism is a precursor of the politics of identity which is typical of our period. Today, various social groups experience a combination of a new sense of identity and a deep alienation from the prevailing norms and morals. This basic pattern, which combines Utopianism and pessimism, is what characterize the separatist sensibility. This perspective on Zionism and other related sensibilities is the central theme of the evening.

The organization of the evening

The reading will last for approximately 90 minutes. During that time ten readers who will stand in various locations in the reading room, select reading material from the designated shelves and read it aloud. The audience will be able to walk through the locations and stop at each one for a while to listen to the readers. As the listeners are walking through the library, the voices of the various readers will be interwoven into one another, combining into a chance musical composition which will be determined by the route chosen by the listeners.

Instructions to the readers

The readers will be instructed to stand near the designated shelves, choose a book or a publication from their shelves, read from it aloud for a while and then select another text. The criterion for the choice of reading material from the designated shelf and the duration of the reading from each text will be decided by the readers. It may reflect their interests or, alternatively, it can be a completely random choice.

The reading material

The reading material gathered in the various shelves will include literature on Zionism and other separatist movements. There will be books and articles on black separatism, gay separatism and feminist separatism. In addition there will be reading material about various political ideologies related to separatism. For example, books about anarchism and about various secessionist movements will be included as well. What all these movements have in common is a strong sense of alienation, a willingness to turn away from the existing society and to start a new society. Some of these efforts lead to migration. Others center on civil disobedience. And others still advocate ignoring the law and refusing to participate in the political process. We hope that this new perspective will contribute to our understanding of Zionism and other separatist movements.