The Israeli organisation HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard) attempts to fill a gap of security in... more The Israeli organisation HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard) attempts to fill a gap of security in Israel's periphery that, in the organisation's words, falls prey to 'agricultural terrorism', such as theft and arson. This main mission is combined with education and cultural activities. The organisation has expanded into a conglomerate that provides security services to farmers and orchestrates countless educational and cultural programmes. We argue that the activities of this organisation are forms of (civil) religious policing in which we see a renaissance of Israeli civil religion through the convergence of both civilreligious and more traditional principles with neo-national themes and values. The religious symbols, rhetoric, and practices used by this largely secular organisation reframe and reconstruct legitimacy for its policing activities outside the state. Simultaneously, this legitimacy challenges statist frameworks of security and thus promotes an alternative civil neo-nationalist agenda.
This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates ... more This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates the theoretical and conceptual problems the collection addresses. It defines the concept of ‘weaponized volunteering’ and analyzes its importance for understanding the relations between contemporary trends of moralization and militarization or securitization. It does so by providing a brief genealogy of the concept of ‘volunteering’ and the rising public interest in it since the 1990s, with the upsurge of neoliberal transformations and a post-political public sphere. The introduction then continues to review changing ideas in the literature concerning civil–military relationships and also concerning the entanglement of what is considered civil and what falls under non-military ‘security’ domains. It then connects both themes to explain the value of the concept of ‘weaponized volunteering’. Finally, the introduction explores how the various articles in this monograph issue contribute to u...
During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adve... more During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adversaries in operational settings other than war. Theories about legitimacy for the use of military force often focus on macro variables such as international law, government policy, and structural political contingencies. The strength of such theories in explaining military violence during conventional wars notwithstanding, this article argues that they fail to explain the legitimization of the use of force in situations that cannot be categorized as “classic” warfare, where institutional and international norms seem to fade, rational calculations become unclear, and governments often do not hold themselves accountable for soldiers’ violent behavior. When such conflicts linger, they often develop into situations in which sovereignty is fragmented and statehood is limited in ways that further undermine institutional legitimacy. Using the accounts of Israeli soldiers deployed in the occupie...
Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent i... more Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent in an era of post-national sentiments and individualism. Although it is frequently depicted as non-political, it may serve the promotion of political agendas, such as neo-nationalism, outside the traditional frame of the state and its institutions. This becomes particularly salient when non-governmental organizations practice volunteering in ways that undermine the state’s monopoly in the realms of security and public order. We conceptualize this tendency as securitized volunteering – instances of volunteering work that is promoted by, in this case non-state, organizations who are involved in voluntary security activities that are violent (or potentially violent). Drawing on an ethnographic study of the Israeli organization HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard), this article demonstrates how agricultural and security volunteering is used to advance a neo-nationalist agenda that circumvents the state, and at the same time maintains an apolitical stance. This is achieved through the implementation of two corresponding forms of securitized volunteering – civilianization of security volunteerism and securitization of civilian volunteerism. Blurring the distinction between both forms enables the organization to attract supporters and volunteers that come from various social sectors and to reinforce its seemingly apolitical position and nationalist agenda.
Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent i... more Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent in an era of post-national sentiments and individualism. Although it is frequently depicted as non-political, it may serve the promotion of political agendas, such as neo-nationalism, outside the traditional frame of the state and its institutions. This becomes particularly salient when non-governmental organizations practice volunteering in ways that undermine the state's monopoly in the realms of security and public order. We conceptualize this tendency as securitized volunteering-instances of volunteering work that is promoted by, in this case non-state, organizations who are involved in voluntary security activities that are violent (or potentially violent). Drawing on an ethnographic study of the Israeli organization HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard), this article demonstrates how agricultural and security volunteering is used to advance a neo-nationalist agenda that circumvents the state, and at the same time maintains an apolitical stance. This is achieved through the implementation of two corresponding forms of securitized volunteering-civilianization of security volunteerism and securitization of civilian volunteerism. Blurring the distinction between both forms enables the organization to attract supporters and volunteers that come from various social sectors and to reinforce its seemingly apolitical position and nationalist agenda.
This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates ... more This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates the theoretical and conceptual problems the collection addresses. It defines the concept of 'weaponized volunteering' and analyzes its importance for understanding the relations between contemporary trends of moralization and militarization or securitization. It does so by providing a brief genealogy of the concept of 'volunteering' and the rising public interest in it since the 1990s, with the upsurge of neoliberal transformations and a post-political public sphere. The introduction then continues to review changing ideas in the literature concerning civil-military relationships and also concerning the entanglement of what is considered civil and what falls under non-military 'security' domains. It then connects both themes to explain the value of the concept of 'weaponized volunteering'. Finally, the introduction explores how the various articles in this monograph issue contribute to understanding how moralization and militarization, civic volunteerism, and securitization are increasingly entangled, and reinforce each other.
During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adve... more During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adversaries in operational settings other than war. The- ories about legitimacy for the use of military force often focus on macro variables such as international law, government policy, and structural po- litical contingencies. The strength of such theories in explaining military violence during conventional wars notwithstanding, this article argues that they fail to explain the legitimization of the use of force in situations that cannot be categorized as “classic” warfare, where institutional and inter- national norms seem to fade, rational calculations become unclear, and governments often do not hold themselves accountable for soldiers’ vio- lent behavior. When such conflicts linger, they often develop into situa- tions in which sovereignty is fragmented and statehood is limited in ways that further undermine institutional legitimacy. Using the accounts of Is- raeli soldiers deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories in the last two decades, this article broadens the analytical perspective on military vi- olence’s legitimacy by depicting its micromechanisms and local factors. In doing so, it identifies three clusters of factors: emotions, space and time, and informal organizational culture. We posit that, during intense friction between soldiers and civilians in the context of prolonged occupation, the structural variables and formal powers that typically dictate the use of force give way to more fluctuating dynamics that shape the patterns of military violence and, ultimately, influence its legitimacy.
During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adve... more During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adversaries in operational settings other than war. The- ories about legitimacy for the use of military force often focus on macro variables such as international law, government policy, and structural po- litical contingencies. The strength of such theories in explaining military violence during conventional wars notwithstanding, this article argues that they fail to explain the legitimization of the use of force in situations that cannot be categorized as “classic” warfare, where institutional and inter- national norms seem to fade, rational calculations become unclear, and governments often do not hold themselves accountable for soldiers’ vio- lent behavior. When such conflicts linger, they often develop into situa- tions in which sovereignty is fragmented and statehood is limited in ways that further undermine institutional legitimacy. Using the accounts of Is- raeli soldiers deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories in the last two decades, this article broadens the analytical perspective on military vi- olence’s legitimacy by depicting its micromechanisms and local factors. In doing so, it identifies three clusters of factors: emotions, space and time, and informal organizational culture. We posit that, during intense friction between soldiers and civilians in the context of prolonged occupation, the structural variables and formal powers that typically dictate the use of force give way to more fluctuating dynamics that shape the patterns of military violence and, ultimately, influence its legitimacy.
Jerusalem is a city of extremes, where tourists and pilgrims come to see the sights and pray, but... more Jerusalem is a city of extremes, where tourists and pilgrims come to see the sights and pray, but where violence is also a daily affair. In the square kilometer called the Old City, which is part of East Jerusalem and thus considered by the international community as occupied territory, the tensions accumulate as (Jewish) Israeli settlers move into houses in the middle of the Muslim and Christian quarters. In order to secure them, numerous cameras have been installed by the police that show all that happens in the narrow streets of the quarter and private security personnel are stationed on many roofs to watch the area. Furthermore, undercover police officers patrol the streets and at times check IDs of Palestinians. In this article, we focus on policing strategies that Israeli private and public security agents use to control this small and controversial urban space. We argue that the constant presence and movement of police, security personnel, and their surveillance technologies ...
The Israeli organisation HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard) attempts to fill a gap of security in... more The Israeli organisation HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard) attempts to fill a gap of security in Israel's periphery that, in the organisation's words, falls prey to 'agricultural terrorism', such as theft and arson. This main mission is combined with education and cultural activities. The organisation has expanded into a conglomerate that provides security services to farmers and orchestrates countless educational and cultural programmes. We argue that the activities of this organisation are forms of (civil) religious policing in which we see a renaissance of Israeli civil religion through the convergence of both civilreligious and more traditional principles with neo-national themes and values. The religious symbols, rhetoric, and practices used by this largely secular organisation reframe and reconstruct legitimacy for its policing activities outside the state. Simultaneously, this legitimacy challenges statist frameworks of security and thus promotes an alternative civil neo-nationalist agenda.
This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates ... more This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates the theoretical and conceptual problems the collection addresses. It defines the concept of ‘weaponized volunteering’ and analyzes its importance for understanding the relations between contemporary trends of moralization and militarization or securitization. It does so by providing a brief genealogy of the concept of ‘volunteering’ and the rising public interest in it since the 1990s, with the upsurge of neoliberal transformations and a post-political public sphere. The introduction then continues to review changing ideas in the literature concerning civil–military relationships and also concerning the entanglement of what is considered civil and what falls under non-military ‘security’ domains. It then connects both themes to explain the value of the concept of ‘weaponized volunteering’. Finally, the introduction explores how the various articles in this monograph issue contribute to u...
During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adve... more During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adversaries in operational settings other than war. Theories about legitimacy for the use of military force often focus on macro variables such as international law, government policy, and structural political contingencies. The strength of such theories in explaining military violence during conventional wars notwithstanding, this article argues that they fail to explain the legitimization of the use of force in situations that cannot be categorized as “classic” warfare, where institutional and international norms seem to fade, rational calculations become unclear, and governments often do not hold themselves accountable for soldiers’ violent behavior. When such conflicts linger, they often develop into situations in which sovereignty is fragmented and statehood is limited in ways that further undermine institutional legitimacy. Using the accounts of Israeli soldiers deployed in the occupie...
Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent i... more Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent in an era of post-national sentiments and individualism. Although it is frequently depicted as non-political, it may serve the promotion of political agendas, such as neo-nationalism, outside the traditional frame of the state and its institutions. This becomes particularly salient when non-governmental organizations practice volunteering in ways that undermine the state’s monopoly in the realms of security and public order. We conceptualize this tendency as securitized volunteering – instances of volunteering work that is promoted by, in this case non-state, organizations who are involved in voluntary security activities that are violent (or potentially violent). Drawing on an ethnographic study of the Israeli organization HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard), this article demonstrates how agricultural and security volunteering is used to advance a neo-nationalist agenda that circumvents the state, and at the same time maintains an apolitical stance. This is achieved through the implementation of two corresponding forms of securitized volunteering – civilianization of security volunteerism and securitization of civilian volunteerism. Blurring the distinction between both forms enables the organization to attract supporters and volunteers that come from various social sectors and to reinforce its seemingly apolitical position and nationalist agenda.
Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent i... more Contemporary volunteering is often considered a neoliberal phenomenon that has become prevalent in an era of post-national sentiments and individualism. Although it is frequently depicted as non-political, it may serve the promotion of political agendas, such as neo-nationalism, outside the traditional frame of the state and its institutions. This becomes particularly salient when non-governmental organizations practice volunteering in ways that undermine the state's monopoly in the realms of security and public order. We conceptualize this tendency as securitized volunteering-instances of volunteering work that is promoted by, in this case non-state, organizations who are involved in voluntary security activities that are violent (or potentially violent). Drawing on an ethnographic study of the Israeli organization HaShomer HaChadash (The New Guard), this article demonstrates how agricultural and security volunteering is used to advance a neo-nationalist agenda that circumvents the state, and at the same time maintains an apolitical stance. This is achieved through the implementation of two corresponding forms of securitized volunteering-civilianization of security volunteerism and securitization of civilian volunteerism. Blurring the distinction between both forms enables the organization to attract supporters and volunteers that come from various social sectors and to reinforce its seemingly apolitical position and nationalist agenda.
This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates ... more This introductory chapter to the monograph issue Weaponized Volunteering explicates and situates the theoretical and conceptual problems the collection addresses. It defines the concept of 'weaponized volunteering' and analyzes its importance for understanding the relations between contemporary trends of moralization and militarization or securitization. It does so by providing a brief genealogy of the concept of 'volunteering' and the rising public interest in it since the 1990s, with the upsurge of neoliberal transformations and a post-political public sphere. The introduction then continues to review changing ideas in the literature concerning civil-military relationships and also concerning the entanglement of what is considered civil and what falls under non-military 'security' domains. It then connects both themes to explain the value of the concept of 'weaponized volunteering'. Finally, the introduction explores how the various articles in this monograph issue contribute to understanding how moralization and militarization, civic volunteerism, and securitization are increasingly entangled, and reinforce each other.
During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adve... more During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adversaries in operational settings other than war. The- ories about legitimacy for the use of military force often focus on macro variables such as international law, government policy, and structural po- litical contingencies. The strength of such theories in explaining military violence during conventional wars notwithstanding, this article argues that they fail to explain the legitimization of the use of force in situations that cannot be categorized as “classic” warfare, where institutional and inter- national norms seem to fade, rational calculations become unclear, and governments often do not hold themselves accountable for soldiers’ vio- lent behavior. When such conflicts linger, they often develop into situa- tions in which sovereignty is fragmented and statehood is limited in ways that further undermine institutional legitimacy. Using the accounts of Is- raeli soldiers deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories in the last two decades, this article broadens the analytical perspective on military vi- olence’s legitimacy by depicting its micromechanisms and local factors. In doing so, it identifies three clusters of factors: emotions, space and time, and informal organizational culture. We posit that, during intense friction between soldiers and civilians in the context of prolonged occupation, the structural variables and formal powers that typically dictate the use of force give way to more fluctuating dynamics that shape the patterns of military violence and, ultimately, influence its legitimacy.
During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adve... more During the past decades, militaries have increasingly used force against civilians and armed adversaries in operational settings other than war. The- ories about legitimacy for the use of military force often focus on macro variables such as international law, government policy, and structural po- litical contingencies. The strength of such theories in explaining military violence during conventional wars notwithstanding, this article argues that they fail to explain the legitimization of the use of force in situations that cannot be categorized as “classic” warfare, where institutional and inter- national norms seem to fade, rational calculations become unclear, and governments often do not hold themselves accountable for soldiers’ vio- lent behavior. When such conflicts linger, they often develop into situa- tions in which sovereignty is fragmented and statehood is limited in ways that further undermine institutional legitimacy. Using the accounts of Is- raeli soldiers deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories in the last two decades, this article broadens the analytical perspective on military vi- olence’s legitimacy by depicting its micromechanisms and local factors. In doing so, it identifies three clusters of factors: emotions, space and time, and informal organizational culture. We posit that, during intense friction between soldiers and civilians in the context of prolonged occupation, the structural variables and formal powers that typically dictate the use of force give way to more fluctuating dynamics that shape the patterns of military violence and, ultimately, influence its legitimacy.
Jerusalem is a city of extremes, where tourists and pilgrims come to see the sights and pray, but... more Jerusalem is a city of extremes, where tourists and pilgrims come to see the sights and pray, but where violence is also a daily affair. In the square kilometer called the Old City, which is part of East Jerusalem and thus considered by the international community as occupied territory, the tensions accumulate as (Jewish) Israeli settlers move into houses in the middle of the Muslim and Christian quarters. In order to secure them, numerous cameras have been installed by the police that show all that happens in the narrow streets of the quarter and private security personnel are stationed on many roofs to watch the area. Furthermore, undercover police officers patrol the streets and at times check IDs of Palestinians. In this article, we focus on policing strategies that Israeli private and public security agents use to control this small and controversial urban space. We argue that the constant presence and movement of police, security personnel, and their surveillance technologies ...
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