"Globalization" is a key concept that faithfully describes the present age as well as the future direction of development of relations between people, states, cultures, and societies, which are not limited to the nationstate. However, globalization does not only refer to the divergence of political, economic, and cultural relations. It also requires new forms of knowledge and writing about the world, which can represent those complex relationships and open the way to interdisciplinary global knowledge. The Global Objects series will encourage researchers to develop forms of writing and research that will describe the global constitution of objects of broad political and social significance in the world and in Israel. Examples of such objects can be, for instance, a financial tool, technology, food, an item of clothing, raw material, weapon, and so on. While the writers will have complete freedom in their choice of subject, they will be required to develop an interdisciplinary narrative that can illuminate the different ways the global world is involved in constituting the object and its impact. The writers will be asked to show, on the one hand, how the global world is involved in constituting the object, and on the other hand, how the object in turn impacts the shaping of the world. The writing will propose a narrative that traces the object in various social fields and diverse fields of knowledge. In the choice of object, emphasis will be put on Israel as much as possible. The series will include ten booklets. Nine manuscripts are currently in progress:
- On Barak, Coal
- Michael Zakim, Paper
- Danny Rabinovich, Carbon dioxide
- Dror Wahrman, Porcelain
- Haggai Ram, Cannabis
- Tamar Rozett, Soap
- Leroy Chopin, Designer clothing
- Merav Peretz, Tinder
- Reut Una-Tsameret, Milk pump