The Impact of the Nation-State, Ethno-Centrism, and the Banality of Evil on Israel’s Developing Statehood

Faculty Mentor: Ainsley LeSure, Politics Department

Major: Politics & Philosophy

Funding: Undergraduate Research Center Summer Research Fellowship

 

Abstract:

Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil is a work of political theory which aptly explores the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961. The purpose of the study was to examine Arendt’s Banality of Evil to better understand the work for my future research. I also examined Arendt’s Origins of Totalitarianism and the Jewish Writings , as well as Aime Cesaire’s Discourse on Colonialism and W.E.B. DuBois’ the Souls of Black Folk. As my research progresses, I will study the impact of ethnocentrism and banal evil on Israel's development to better understand if these ideas validly critique nationalism, in order to help my reader identify the impact of modern political models. This was the greatest limit on my research -- I didn’t have enough time to comprehensively work through Eichmann in Jerusalem, and then transition my work into that different exploration.

Watch my research presentation below.

Questions or comments? Contact me at: cmazeika@oxy.edu

 

 

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