Hannah Arendt's critique of the shortcomings of the nation-state in connection with the Jewish question and the emergence of the independent state of Israel

This thesis examines the critique of the concept of the nation-state through the perspective of the German-Jewish political thinker Hannah Arendt. Arendt was convinced that nation-states, as they emerged in Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, represent an obstacle to the development of genuine political plurality and civil rights. According to her, the nation-state is an institution founded on the idea of a homogeneous society - one based on ethnic, cultural, and religious uniformity - which establishes strict boundaries between those who belong to the nation and those who do not. This form of pure nationalism led to the suppression of plurality, thereby preventing the emergence of a healthy society. The thesis will focus primarily on the role played by Jews within the principles and functioning of the nation-state-not only because Hannah Arendt herself was Jewish and personally experienced the limits imposed by the nation-state, but also because it seeks to explore how this development influenced the establishment of the state of Israel. The thesis aims to answer the following research question: "In what sense does Hannah Arendt criticize the nation-state (later the independent Jewish state of Israel) as an obstacle to the emergence of true political plurality and civil rights?". The thesis...