Violent Acts and Urban Space in Contemporary Tel Aviv: Revisioning Moments(Jewish Life, History, and Culture)

Violent acts over the past fifteen years have profoundly altered civil rituals, cultural identity, and the meaning of place in Tel Aviv. Three events in particular have shed light on the global rule of urban space in the struggle for territory, resources, and power: the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in 1995 in the city council square; the suicidal bombing at the Dolphinarium Discotheque along the shoreline in 2001; and bombings in the Neve Shaanan neighborhood in 2003. Tali Hatuka uses an interdisciplinary framework of urban theory and sociopolitical theory to shed light on the discourse regarding violent events to include an analysis of the physical space where these events take place. She exposes the complex relationships among local groups, the state, and the city, challenging the national discourse by offering a fresh interpretation of contesting forces and their effect on the urban environment. Perhaps the most valuable contribution of this book is its critical assessment of the current Israeli reality, which is affected by violent events that continually alter the everyday life of its citizens. Although these events have been widely publicized by the media, there is scant literature focusing on their impact on the urban spaces where people live and meet. In addition, Hatuka shows how sociopolitical events become crucial defining moments in contemporary lived experience, allowing us to examine universal questions about the way democracy, ideology, and memory are manifested in the city.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Diane E. Davis Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Political Violence and the City 1. Violent Acts and Revisioning Moments 2. Absence, Urban Space, and Civil Participation in Rabin Square: The Assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, November 4, 1995 Ideology: Urban Space and Civil Participation Memory: Everyday Life versus Traumatic Practices 3. Borders, Urban Order, and State-City Relationships along the Shoreline: The Suicide Bombing at the Dolphinarium Discotheque, June 1, 2001 Boundaries: The Role of Planning and Architecture in Constructing Urban Borders Order: State-City Relationships and Their Effect on Urban Order 4. Urbanity, Immigration, and Everyday Life in Neve Shaanan: The Suicide Bombings at the Central Bus Station, January 5, 2003 Center and Periphery: Economic Production and Urban Representation Everyday: Visibility and Temporary Urban Coalitions Conclusion: The Routine of Violence Appendix A: Key Dates and Events Appendix B: Tel Aviv in Numbers Notes Selected Bibliography Index

About the Author :
TALI HATUKA is Lecturer and head of the Laboratory for Contemporary Urban Design in the Department of Geography and Human Environment at Tel Aviv University. She was previously the Fulbright and Marie Curie European Community Research Fellow in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT.