Celebrating Memory and Belonging: Young Russian Israelis Claim Their Unique Place in Tel-Aviv’s Urban Space

Drawing on the theoretical concept of collective memory and migration, and politics of belonging, this article explores performative belonging enacted in the series of holidays and commemorative rites organized by young Russian immigrants in Israel’s major metropolis. Our ethnography is based on 18...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of contemporary ethnography 2018-06, Vol.47 (3), p.336-366
Main Authors: Prashizky, Anna, Remennick, Larissa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Belonging
Celebrations
Collective memory
Commemoration
Cultural activities
Cultural capital
Ethnography
Holidays & special occasions
Immigrants
Migration
Politics
Prestige
Urban areas
Visibility
Young adults
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Summary:Drawing on the theoretical concept of collective memory and migration, and politics of belonging, this article explores performative belonging enacted in the series of holidays and commemorative rites organized by young Russian immigrants in Israel’s major metropolis. Our ethnography is based on 18 months of participant observation at the cultural association Fishka in South Tel-Aviv. As part of our field work, we documented public celebrations of Jewish and Russian-Soviet holidays organized by Fishka as acts of public performance seeking to elevate the prestige of Russian culture in Israel. These events reinforced visibility of Russian Israelis in Israel’s cultural capital and helped reach out to other urban communities, both native and immigrant. The article discusses the unique contribution of these bicultural young adults to Tel-Aviv’s diverse and dynamic urban scene. Our main argument is about the importance of collective memory in migration, whereby holidays and commemorative rites reinforce feelings of belonging and fortify the immigrants’ claim on the respectable place in the receiving society.
ISSN:0891-2416
1552-5414
DOI:10.1177/0891241616649235