Traces of globalized blackness : Hip-hop and racial consciousness among young Israelis of Ethiopian origin
This article explores how the globalized concept of « blackness » that circulates via American hip-hop culture offers a certain reference point that allows many young Ethiopian Jews to anchor themselves within the Israeli landscape. I address the way in which dynamics related to identity take shape through Israeli and Ethiopian constructs of race and ethnicity. In particular I look at one of many strategies used by Ethiopian Israeli youths to stake their place in Israeli society, that is the claim of being Black Jews. This racial label is appropriated by numerous teenagers by way of their identification with hip-hop culture. I propose to analyze how the discourse they produce is articulated to the history and experience of African-Americans, while keeping in mind the constant changes experienced by their community since the beginning of the 19th century and the socio-cultural, political and religious distances that differentiate Israel from the United States.