This two-part course with JFREJ member Yael Mizrahi-Arnaud will examine the evolution of Mizrahi politics in Israel/Palestine, beginning with Middle Eastern Jewish responses to Zionism in the early 20th century, through the present day, where Mizrahiyut has become synonymous with a type of right-wing politics. The course will be interested in moving away from essentializing narratives, to explore both the cultural, political and socio-economic spheres of Mizrahi responses to and impact on Zionism.  Highlighting the roots of the national conflict between Jews and Palestinians, we will aim to understand the role of ethnic hierarchies and the place of Mizrahim in this equation.