War bodies, hedonist bodies: dialectics of the collective and the individual in Israeli society

In this paper I analyze images of the 'normal body' in Israel between 1983 and 1993. By correlating body imagery with images of the social order, I argue that this 'normal body' reflects a social discourse of growing individualism. During the Gulf War (1991), images of the 'normal body' changed to reflect a rising collectivism. I consider this abrupt change in the context of Israel's 'interrupted system.' I conclude by offering a panoramic reading of how people narrate their socially informed bodies to suit varying cultural contexts and thus problematize the 'individuality' presumed inherent in 'normal bodies.' [body politic, embodiment, Israeli society, collectivism, individualism, social narratives]