Eliezer Ben-Rafael is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Tel-Aviv University. He is the author or co-author of eleven other books, the most recent of which is Language, Identity, and Social Division: The Case of Israel, and is National Chairperson of the Israel Sociological Society.

• List of Tables Preface 1. Kibbutz Identity The Reality of UtopiaSocial Change and TransformationThe Identity Dilemmas of the KibbutznikThe Expectations of the Investigation2. The Crisis Human and Economic ResourcesBuilding Power — and Losing itFrom the Political Setback to the Economic CrisisQuestioning the Kibbutz Identity3. A Shattered Community Status, Conflict, and ChangeForces of De-collectivizationSocialization and DiscontinuationThe New Kind of Social Obligation4. Kibbutz Capitalism Challenged A Socialism De-luxeChanges in the Kibbutz EnterpriseCommercialization, Privatization and SecurityToward Recovery?5. Kibbutz and Society The Dilemmas of ElitismToward PluralismA New Type of Kibbutz Movement?6. Behind the Transformation Aspirations for ChangeThe Social Distribution of AspirationsIn Conclusion7. Implementing Change Investigating Social TransformationCategories of KibbutzimThe Politics of ChangeThe Vicissitudes of Implementing ChangeIn Conclusion8. The Transformation of Identity The Context of CrisisOld Dilemmas in New TermsThe Role of the TechnocratsSocial Cohesion and FragmentationThe Revenge and Reality of the Anarchist UtopiaAppendix 1: Correlation Analyses Appendix 2: Statistical Abstract—The Kibbutzim in the 1990s Notes Bibliography Index

"In the field of kibbutz studies, this will be the most important book of the decade. Anyone with a general interest in Israel is likely to be interested in reading this book as well. The family, gender, education, economy, and polity are handled with a remarkable degree of competence and thoroughness. There are few scholars who could handle so much diverse material as well." — Raymond Russell,University of California, Riverside"An important contribution to the study of the kibbutz. The topic is significant and important for several fields of study, such as the study of Israel, the study of communal and alternative societies and organizations, and the study of postmodernism." — Menachem Rosner, Institute for Research on the Kibbutz and the Cooperative Idea, University of Haifa"This book is excellent in all areas—philosophy, theory, data, contemporary issues, and analytical insights. The high intellectual tone and the specific topic, I believe, make the book most interesting and unique." — Efraim Ben-Zadok, Florida Atlantic University