Towards a “repertoire interaction” model of ethnicity: “Becoming ‘Israel’” and available cultural repertoires

This article addresses lingering “groupist” challenges in the characterization of ethnic constructions through the lens of an unusual ethnogenetic phenomenon, the presence of multiple different claimants to an “Israelite” identity in many different places all around the world. It suggests that as this phenomenon has a somewhat obvious explanation – the corresponding popularity of biblical traditions themselves all around the world – it can help us think more clearly about what can be available for ethnic construction in a given context and why. It also suggests the need to shift focus from how peer-to-peer interactions lead to the articulation of ethnic visions to the role of interactions with available repertoires themselves, which it refers to as a “repertoire interaction” model of ethnic construction.