PRESERVING THROUGH INNOVATING: NEO-PASHKEVILS AND SYMBOLIC BOUNDARY WORK IN HAREDI ANTI-DRAFT PROTEST.

This study investigates the emergence of neo-pashkevils —visually and rhetorically modernized wall posters—within ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) campaigns opposing military conscription in Israel. While traditional pashkevils (wall posters) function as informal instruments of ideological enforcement and co...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Modern Judaism: A Journal of Jewish Ideas & Experience Vol. 46; no. 2; pp. 157 - 179
Autores principales: Rosenberg, Hananel, Lowenstein-Barkai, Hila, Aharoni, Matan
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA May2026
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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Sumario:This study investigates the emergence of neo-pashkevils —visually and rhetorically modernized wall posters—within ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) campaigns opposing military conscription in Israel. While traditional pashkevils (wall posters) function as informal instruments of ideological enforcement and communal discipline, neo-pashkevils incorporate comic-style illustrations, vibrant colors, and colloquial language aimed at youth audiences. Through the lens of symbolic boundary work theory, the present study analyzes 42 posters from the " Hardakim " campaign against enlisting in the IDF (2013–2024), in order to examine how these hybrid forms represent not a rupture with tradition but a strategic recalibration that reinforces communal boundaries through esthetic and affective innovation. The findings identify three interrelated dimensions of boundary work—participatory performance, internal differentiation, and reflexive adaptation—through which neo-pashkevils mobilize stylistic tools to sustain collective identity against ideological threat. By extending boundary work theory to a highly stylized religious medium, the study sheds light on how conservative communities integrate modern media strategies to uphold ideological continuity, revealing the dynamic interplay between cultural preservation and communicative adaptation.