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An opologia
ol. 23 (1) | 2019
Inclui dossiê "Con lic s wi hin a con lic : c i ical
obse a ions om he Is aeli ield"
F om Goa o Rabin Squa e: no es o a esea ch on
he uses and meanings o psychedelic ance music
and pa ies in Is ael
De Goa à P aça Rabin: no as pa a uma in es igação sob e os usos e signi icados
das es as de ance psicadélico em Is ael
Gio gio G is ina
Elec onic e sion
URL: h p://jou nals.openedi ion.o g/e nog afica/6557
DOI: 10.4000/e nog afica.6557
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Cen o em Rede de In es igação em An opologia
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Da e o publica ion: 1 Feb ua y 2019
Numbe o pages: 221-239
ISSN: 0873-6561
Elec onic e e ence
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e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
F om Goa o Rabin Squa e:
no es o a esea ch on he uses
and meanings o psychedelic ance
music and pa ies in Is ael
Gio gio G is ina
Psy ance o Psychedelic ance music was bo n a he end o he 1980s wi hin he
“ ull moon pa ies” o ganised by a empo a y communi y o in e na ional a elle s
who se led on he beaches o he s a e o Goa, in sou he n India. F om he e i
sp ead all a ound he wo ld, c ea ing a ne wo k o housands o people, who’ e eg-
ula ly ga he ed in e en s anging om small clandes ine pa ies in emo e loca ions
o big in e na ional es i als. Pa ies a e ocused on music and dance, ye cha ac-
e ised by a so o sync e ic spi i uali y, a paci is ic he o ic and an en i onmen al
a i ude, and o en include he use o psychoac i e subs ances. In Is ael – whe e
his phenomenon has eached an excep ional deg ee o pa icipa ion and di usion
– psy ance i s a i ed ia he nume ous young people who wen backpacking o
some mon hs a e he compulso y mili a y se ice, o en di ec ed o India. Few
schola s deal wi h he opic so a , and mos o hem connec ed he ema kable
sp ead o psychedelic pa ies wi h he pa icula condi ion o p olonged con lic
and mili a isa ion which cha ac e ises he g ow h o he majo i y o Is ael-bo n
you h. This a icle – based on a ecen ly s a ed esea ch p ojec – aims o o e an
o e iew o he heme, in e sec ing he li le exis ing li e a u e wi h he empi ic
ma e ial collec ed so a , p esen ing some possible in e p e a ions and add essing a
se ies o ques ions o be u he in es iga ed.
KEYWORDS: Is ael/Pales ine, Goa, psychedelic ance, a e, con lic , a my.
De Goa à P aça Rabin: no as pa a uma in es igação sob e os usos e sig-
ni icados das es as de ance psicadélico em Is ael  O géne o de música
conhecido como psy ance ou psychedelic ance nasceu no im dos anos de 1980 nas
“ es as de Lua cheia” o ganizadas po uma comunidade empo á ia de iajan es
in e nacionais que se o mou nas p aias de Goa, na Índia me idional. A pa i dali,
di undiu-se pelo mundo in ei o, c iando uma ede de milha es de pessoas que se
encon am egula men e em e en os ão di e en es como pequenas es as clandes-
inas em luga es emo os ou g andes es i ais in e nacionais. As es as são ocadas
na música e na dança, mas são ambém ca a e izadas po uma e ó ica o ien ada
pa a emá icas espi i uais, paci is as e ecologis as, e incluem com equência o uso
de subs âncias psicoa i as. A psy ance chegou a Is ael – onde o enómeno a ingiu
um g au excecional de pa icipação e di usão – a a és dos nume osos jo ens que
iaja am du an e á ios meses logo após o im do se iço mili a ob iga ó io, mui-
as ezes di igindo-se pa a a Índia. Poucos au o es abo da am o assun o, e a maio ia
deles elaciona am a no á el di usão das es as psicadélicas com a condição pa icu-
la de con li o p olongado e mili a ização in ensi a que ca ac e izam o c escimen o
222  GIORGIO GRISTINA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
INTRODUCTION
This a icle is based on an ongoing esea ch p ojec which s a ed in 2013
du ing he shoo ing o he documen a y The Loudes Place on Ea h, p oduced
by BabyDoc Film and unded by he To ino Film Commission. Un o una ely,
he ilm was ne e inished due o he sudden dea h o di ec o and long- ime
iend Alessand o Bal e a in Augus 2014. The ilm ollowed he s o y o a
gi l who was s a ing he compulso y mili a y se ice and was deeply in ol ed
in wha is known as psy ance o psychedelic ance pa ies. The i s con ac
wi h people in he ield was es ablished wi h hese ilming pu poses, and lead
o he c ea ion o an impo an ela ion wi h R., who was o be he p o agonis
o he mo ie, along wi h he g oup o iends. My in e locu o s du ing he
esea ch we e mos ly young people (be ween 18 and 24 yea s o age) bo n
and aised in Is ael who we e doing o had ecen ly inished hei pe iod o
compulso y mili a y se ice, and we e in he mean ime engaged in a mo e o
less cons an pa icipa ion in he psychedelic communi y.1
The esea ch e ol ed in o a PhD p ojec hos ed by ICS (Uni e sidade de
Lisboa, Po ugal), whose main objec i e is o examine he ela ion be ween
he p ac ices associa ed wi h psychedelic ance music and he e e yday expe-
ience o young soldie s in he mili a y se ice in Is ael. Gi en he emb yonic
1 The i s and ul ima ely sole shoo ing session o he mo ie ook place be ween May and June
2013. Ou ilm c ew was composed by h ee people om I aly wi h some p e ious knowledge o he
psychedelic ance phenomenon, bu no pe sonally in ol ed in any o i s p ac ices. None o us spoke
Heb ew and, excep o he di ec o , i was ou i s isi o Is ael. Du ing eigh weeks, we a ended
a ound en psy ance e en s, including he bigges open-ai es i al held yea ly in Is ael (Indigo
Fes i al), a couple o small clandes ine pa ies in he Nege dese and a ew di e en nigh s in clubs
and enues in Tel A i , Hai a and Be’e She a. Be ween one e en and he o he , we ied o cons an ly
keep in ouch wi h he people we me a pa ies, sha ing many di e en momen s o hei e e yday li e.
All da a collec ed, which hen se ed as he basis o my MA disse a ion (G is ina 2015), esul ed om
in o mal con e sa ions o uns uc u ed in e iews, always conduc ed in English and some imes ilmed
and/o sound eco ded.
da maio ia dos jo ens nascidos no Es ado de Is ael. Es e a igo, baseado numa
pesquisa começada ecen emen e, isa p opo uma isão global do assun o, c u-
zando a es i a li e a u a exis en e com os dados empí icos ecolhidos a é ago a, e
ap esen a algumas in e p e ações possí eis, assim como ques ões que p ecisam de
se ul e io men e in es igadas.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Is ael/Pales ina, Goa, ance psicadélico, a e, con li o, exé ci o.
GRISTINA, Gio gio (gio[email p o ec ed]) – Ins i u o de Ciências Sociais, Uni e si-
dade de Lisboa (ICS-ULisboa), Po ugal.
FROM GOA TO RABIN SQUARE: NOTES FOR A RESEARCH ON THE USES…  223
s age o he p ojec , which s ill lacks a second p olonged pe iod o ieldwo k,
his a icle is p esen ed as a collec ion o esea ch no es, whose main aim is
o p o ide an o e iew o he opic and o ace some possible pa hs o be
explo ed, being he e o e essen ially a desc ip i e wo k, no di ec ly dealing
wi h heo e ical issues. Mo eo e , he scien i ic li e a u e on he opic is qui e
limi ed, so my e ision will ocus on he ew au ho s who in es iga ed and
w o e on his pa icula opic: G aham S . John (2004, 2010, 2012a, 2012b),
B yan Meadan (2006), Joshua Schmid (2010, 2012) and Elino Ca mi
(2013a, 2013b, 2013c).
In he ollowing pa ag aphs, I will i s con ex ualise b ie ly he phenom-
enon o psychedelic ance pa ies, acing i s oo s in Goa and ollowing i s
a i al in Is ael; I will hen p esen he mos ele an in e p e a ions o he
phenomenon gi en by schola s, hus ske ching a so o s a e o he a o he
li e a u e on he opic; consequen ly, I will gi e accoun o a case s udy which
eme ged om my obse a ions, ying o see how i ela es o hese in e p e a-
ions; inally, I will d aw some conclusions and e lec on a se ies o ques ions
ha eme ged om his analysis and need o be u he in es iga ed.
FROM GOA TO RABIN SQUARE: A BRIEF HISTORY OF PSYTRANCE
The music known oday as psy ance o psychedelic ance2 was bo n a
he end he 1980s wi hin he “ ull moon pa ies” o ganised by a empo a y
communi y ha had o med since he 1960s in he s a e o Goa, in sou he n
India, hanks o he a i al o housands o a elle s and hippies,3 mainly om
Eu ope and he Uni ed S a es. Ca ying wi h hem he pa icula mix u e o
elec onic sounds and sync e ic spi i uali y which dis inguished he pa ies
held among he palm o es s o Anjuna and Vaga o , and ep oducing a simila
o ma in many o he coun ies, some o hese young a elle s slowly ga e
ise o an in e na ional ne wo k ha oday in ol es housands o people,
connec ed h ough hund eds o websi es, blogs and social media.4
2 In Is ael, people e e o he phenomenon he e examined wi h he e ms “ ance” o “psy ance,”
o wi h he abb e ia ion “psy.” The e m mesiba (plu . mesibo ), meaning “pa y,” is used o e e o a
single e en , and he e m ancis (plu . ancis im) o e e o pa y goe s and o ganise s.
3 Hippie is a ca ego y commonly used in many di e en coun ies, ye i is s ill con o e sial o
p ope ly de ine i on a scien i ic basis. The e m i s eme ged o indica e he young people li ing in
New Yo k Ci y’s G eenwich Village and San F ancisco’s Haigh -Ashbu y dis ic s in he 1960s, who,
inspi ed by he poe s and w i e s o he so-called Bea Gene a ion, s a ed o sel -p oclaim hemsel es
as a “coun e cul u e”: a g oup o people who e used wha hey conside ed as he common alues o he
US socie y. The i s deep e hnog aphic accoun abou hippies in he UK and US can be ound in Willis
(2014 [1978]).
4 Inside s usually e e o psy ance in e ms o a “cul u e,” and so do some schola s. O he esea che s
and jou nalis s ha e al e na i ely used he e ms “subcul u e,” “mo emen ” o “communi y”. Al hough
hese e ms some imes appea in his a icle when ci ing o he au ho s, I p e e o use [con inues]
224  GIORGIO GRISTINA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
People om di e se social and economic backg ounds pa icipa e in he
phenomenon wo ldwide, wi h di e en deg ees o in ol emen , anging om
an occasional appea ance o a egula commi men (especially in he case o
e en o ganise s, DJs and music p oduce s). Some o he mos dedica ed psy-
ance s can a el egula ly o a end e en s, which can be as di e se as small
clandes ine pa ies in emo e loca ions o huge es i als, one o he la ges o
he wo ld being he Boom Fes i al, held e e y wo yea s nea Idanha-a-No a,
Po ugal, and a ac ing a ound 40,000 people each edi ion.
E en i hey ook di e en o ms o e ime, mos o he psy ance pa ies
held a ound he wo ld s ill sha e he common cha ac e is ics o he a e pa y,5
being essen ially cen ed a ound music and dance, and hus gene ally buil
a ound a sound sys em and a dance loo equipped wi h ligh s and deco a ions,
which ep esen s he main mee ing a ea o he e en . Pa ies usually las some
days, hus equen ly include a camping a ea o some o he spaces dedica ed
o accommoda ion and es , as well as ood selle s. Equally common is he
p esence o s alls ading di e en ypes o a isanal p oduc s (clo hing, jewels,
accesso ies, e c.). Bigge e en s s a ed o inco po a e mo e ac i i ies such as
pe o mances, wo kshops, con e ences, massages, di e en ypes o he apeu ic
p ac ices, and he like. I is a common p ac ice among pa icipan s o use
di e en ypes o na u ally occu ing o chemically p oduced psychoac i e
subs ances, epo edly o deepen he connec ion wi h o he people and o
enhance he expe ience o music. The music i sel , which includes di e en
sub-s yles, is mixed li e by DJs using dedica ed equipmen and is basically
composed o syn he ic sounds and p e- eco ded samples o ganised in epe i i e
pa e ns, simila ly o o he o ms o elec onic dance music such as echno,
house o d um’n’bass (Cole and Hannan 1997).
Somehow in con inui y wi h he hippie discou se ha cha ac e ised he
con ex in which psychedelic pa ies we e bo n, he in e na ional psy ance
ne wo k oday allegedly emb aces a so o sync e ic spi i uali y, which eely
[con inua ion] he e m “ne wo k,” which highligh s he exis ence o a se ies o ac o s who don’
necessa ily li e in he same place no o m a well-de ined g oup, bu a e connec ed by di ec in e ac ions
and/o communica ion echnologies and sha e some common goals and p ac ices. Fo a c i ical e ision
o he use o his e m in an h opology, see Cas o and Goldman (2012).
5 The concep o “ a e pa y” eme ged in ela ion o clandes ine dance music pa ies held a leas
since he 80s in abandoned wa ehouses in he UK and he US, and was la e adop ed by many g oups
linked o di e en elec onic dance music gen es and sub-gen es, including psy ance. The i s and
mos comp ehensi e his o y and analysis o he a e phenomenon and i s di e en mani es a ions
can be ound in Reynolds (1998). Psy ance pa ies wo ldwide ange oday om being comple ely
clandes ine and unsupe ised (e. g. small open ai pa ies in e y emo e loca ions, occupied abusi ely)
o o ally legal and licensed ones (e. g. big comme cial es i als o nigh s in clubs, wi h paid icke s
and secu i y measu es applied). The majo i y o e en s hough, lies in some kind o middle g ound
be ween hese wo poles (e. g. semi-legalised pa ies held in p i a e spaces o pieces o land en ed o
he occasion, e en ually wi hou possessing all he pe missions/licences needed).

FROM GOA TO RABIN SQUARE: NOTES FOR A RESEARCH ON THE USES…  225
mixes elemen s o di e en eligious adi ions and medi a ion p ac ices om
all o e he wo ld. Simila ly, a paci is ic and inclusi e e hos is conside ed o
be a he basis o psy ance s’ li es yle, and is exp essed h ough a he o ic
o ole ance and oge he ness, e ol ing a ound concep s like “uni y” and
“oneness.” An en i onmen al a i ude in luences p ac ically he o ganisa ion
o he e en s, s essing he impo ance o hei sus ainabili y, and could be
seen as a consequence o wha has been de ined as “sac alisa ion o na u e”
(see Ca dano 1997). The psy ance ne wo k sha es his concep ion wi h
o he g oups de o ed o he de elopmen o non-u ban li es yles, like he
ones connec ed o pe macul u e echniques and eco- illages p ojec s (see
Lockye and Ve e o 2013), which a e no a ely in i ed o gi e wo kshops o
lec u es a bigge psy ance e en s. Themes o his kind egula ly popula e
psy ance’s ex ual byp oduc s and isual image y,6 and ep esen a cen al
opic o con e sa ion be ween pa icipan s, inside and ou side he pa ies. This
whole se o ideas is o en e e ed o in media and online esou ces as “PLUR
philosophy” – he ac onym s anding o Peace, Lo e, Uni y and Respec –
and ep esen s a so o unw i en code o conduc which pa icipan s a e
supposed o ollow (Schmid 2010).7
Is ael is widely conside ed – bo h in he academic discou se and in he opin-
ion o many people wi hin he mo emen – one o he coun ies in he wo ld
whe e psy ance a ained he highes deg ee o pa icipa ion and di usion.
Du ing he 90s and 2000s, ance music accompanied a p ocess o change in
young middle-class people’s managemen o leisu e, a ec ing in pa icula he
gene a ion ha g ew up a e he 1982 Lebanon Wa . Many young Is aeli a -
elle s we e p esen and had an ac i e ole in he bi h o he ance phenome-
non in Goa since i s e y beginning, and especially a e 1988 when, hanks o
a se ies o changes in he Indian-Is aeli diploma ic ela ions, i became easie
o hem o ob ain ou is isas o India (Rubino 1995: 502-503). They we e
mos ly young people a elling o some mon hs immedia ely a e he end o
compulso y mili a y se ice. This habi o spending some mon hs a elling
a e he a my, known in Heb ew as a mila’u , has become so common and
ele an o a la ge numbe o middle-class young people in Is ael, ha i has
6 The names o he a is s, he i les o albums and songs, as well as he denomina ions and
desc ip ions o he e en s wo ldwide, o e se e al examples o his kind, like: Alchemy Ci cle, Sac ed
Seed, Re u n o he Sou ce, Ga he ing o he T ibes, Ea hdance, Rainbow Se pen , e c. Simila ly,
Indian dei ies, Buddha images and o he symbols om di e en eligious adi ions can be ound in
he design o coun less a wo k and pos e s, as well as in he deco a ions o pa ies and es i als.
7 PLUR: Peace, Lo e, Uni y, Respec was he i le o a so o in o mal a e s mani es o, c edi ed o he
New Yo k DJ F ankie Bones, which began o ci cula e eely in he i s s acid house pa ies in he US and
Eu ope. Passing h ough Goa i was spon aneously adop ed by he global psy ne wo k. The ull ex o
he mani es o is accessible om < h p://peaceandlo eism.com/blog/2009/09/peace-lo e-uni y-and- esp
ec - he- a e s-mani es o > (las access in Janua y 2018).
226  GIORGIO GRISTINA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
been ega ded as a con empo a y i e o passage, subsequen and complemen-
a y o he mili a y se ice (see Noy and Cohen 2005). Du ing he 1990s and
he i s decade o 2000, India has been one o he mos common des ina ions
o hese ips (Maoz 2005).
A leas since 1990, he i s ull moon ga he ings s a ed o be o ganised in
Is ael (S . John 2012a: 238). Simila ly o o he coun ies in he wo ld, in Is ael
psy ance eme ged a he beginning as a subs an ially clandes ine and illegal
p ac ice, and he i s decade o i s his o y was cha ac e ised by a ema kable
wo k o ep ession o he pa ies by he police, esul ing in ines and con isca-
ion o equipmen (as shown o example in he documen a y Psychedelic Zion
by Is i Halpe n). This con ibu ed o he c ea ion o an a mosphe e o blame
and ep ession a ound he mo emen , suppo ed by ecu en media ep e-
sen a ions o ance e en s in e ms o dange ous and senseless d ug pa ies
(Meadan 2006; Schmid 2010).
This ep essi e a i ude pushed he o ganise s o e en s o seek e uge in
legally equipped clubs, some o which we e ne e heless a ec ed by police
aids, o o he wise o loca e he e en s in mo e and mo e emo e places, each-
ing he Nege dese , whe e a lo o clandes ine e en s s ill ake place oday.
O e all, a om a es ing he p oli e a ion o he phenomenon, ep ession
had he pa adoxical e ec o inc easing i s popula i y and, abo e all, i had a
c ucial ole in shaping a sel -iden i ica ion o he new-bo n ne wo k (Rege
and Se oussi 2004: 183; Ca mi 2013b). A se ies o p o es pa ies we e o gan-
ised, a ac ing ens o housands o people and hus immedia ely becoming
some o he bigges psychedelic ance es i als e e held anywhe e in he
wo ld un il hen: he es i al o Ganei Huga Pa k in June 1997, p o okingly
o ganised in pa ne ship wi h he Is aeli An i-D ug Au ho i y and called “ he
d ugless es i al,” in which almos 15,000 people ook pa , and he Ni za-
nim beach pa y on he ollowing Sep embe , s opped on he second day by
he police in on o abou 30,000 people (S . John 2012a: 239; see also he
mo ie Ka ahana, p oduced by eco d label Phonokol). The peak o his p ocess
was a demons a ion called “Gi e T ance a Chance,” held on he 9 h o July
1998, du ing which 30,000 o 50,000 people (Ca mi 2013c) ga he ed a ound
a big s age moun ed in Tel A i ’s ci y hall squa e, Rabin squa e, o “ igh o
hei igh o pa y,” as s a ed by he e en ’s slogan. A simila e en called
“The Ga he ing” ollowed in Je usalem in 2000 (S . John 2012a: 240).
These e en s ma ked a u ning poin in he his o y o Is aeli psy ance,
which since he ea ly 2000s began o be g adually in eg a ed in o he musical
mains eam and o be ep esen ed by he media a all le els. Some p oduc-
e s and DJs, like As al P ojec ion, Cali o nia Sunshine, Eyal Ba kan, In ec ed
Mush oom, O o ia, Skazi, o Vibe T ibe, began o gain comme cial success
wi hin he s a e and in e na ionally, dedica ed adio p og ams we e c ea ed
and dozens o eco d labels we e ounded, quickly publishing hund eds o
FROM GOA TO RABIN SQUARE: NOTES FOR A RESEARCH ON THE USES…  227
eco ds and compila ions. Psychedelic ance music became a pe asi e back-
g ound o he mos di e se si ua ions o e e yday li e: ba s, es au an s, supe -
ma ke s, axis, buses and e en some weddings, and o he ma ks associa ed o
he psychedelic ne wo k go mo e and mo e common in clo hing, media, a s
and on he ci y walls (Rege and Se oussi 2004: 183).
Wi h some mino luc ua ions ac oss he yea s, he le el o pa icipa ion
and di usion o psy ance in Is ael has emained conside ably high up o he
p esen momen , as e idenced o example by he inc ease in size o es i als
like “Uni y,” “Ne e land” o “Indigo.” Ano he example was he big join e en
called “Boom Pu iMoksha,” a wo-day es i al o ganised in 2014 by Moksha
P ojec , one o he main c ews o pa y o ganise s in Is ael, ac i e since 1999,
in collabo a ion wi h Good Mood P oduc ion, he p omo e s o he Po uguese
“Boom” es i al, as e e ed abo e, one o he bigges psy ance es i als in
he wo ld. Mo eo e , in he same yea , he i s edi ion o “Midbu n,” Is aeli
egional e en o he Bu ning Man Ne wo k, was held in he Nege dese .8
INTERPRETATIONS OF THE PHENOMENON
The li e and g ow h o Is ael-bo n ci izens is ma ked by he expe ience o
p olonged con lic and ex ended mili a isa ion which cha ac e ise he his o y
o he coun y since i s e y beginning, some hing which is usually e e ed
o in Heb ew as ha’ma za , li e ally “ he si ua ion.” All ci izens, wi h e y
ew exemp ions, a e called when u ning 18 yea s old o join he a my o
a compulso y mili a y se ice ( wo yea s o women, h ee yea s o men),
du ing which many o hem ac ually pa icipa e in ield ope a ions in he Wes
Bank and Gaza. A e he se ice and up o he age o 55, mos male ci izens
li ing in Is ael a e s ill included in he mili a y ese e sys em, being called
o a ce ain amoun o days e e y yea (see Lomsky-Fede and Ben-A i 1999;
Maman, Ben-A i and Rosenhek 2001). Hence, as poin ed ou by nume ous
s udies, he a my in Is ael possesses a e y s ong p ac ical and symbolic alue
and he compulso y mili a y se ice has been lis ed as a c ucial i e o passage
ha o ms and socialises almos all new Is aelis, ma king he access o ull
ci izenship (see Kanaaneh 2008; Le y and Sasson-Le y 2008). Mo e gene ally,
i can be said ha ci izens a e included in a cons an “ i ual o secu i y,” which
8 “The Bu ning Man” (BM), held since 1986 in he Black Rock dese in Ne ada (US), is an
annual ga he ing consis ing on he building o a empo a y communi y whe e money is banned
and coope a ion and ci ic esponsibili y a e encou aged. BM is he bigges and oldes o a se ies o
sel -appoin ed “ ans o ma ional es i als” (including he “Boom” es i al), which p omo e pe sonal
g ow h h ough li es yle changes and di e en o ms o pagan spi i uali y, o en including some o m
o ecs a ic dance and he use o psycho-ac i e subs ances. Since he ea ly 2000s, egional Bu ning-
Man-like e en s s a ed o ake place all a ound he wo ld, gi ing bi h o he Bu ning Man Regional
Ne wo k. See < h p://bu ningman.o g/ > (las access in Feb ua y 2019).
228  GIORGIO GRISTINA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
in ol es many o he aspec s o e e yday li e (Kaplan 2000). I is no su p ising
hen o no e ha nea ly all he in e p e a ions gi en o explain he excep ional
p ominence a ained by psy ance pa ies in Is ael ela e i in some way wi h
he pa icula condi ion in which mos ancis im g ow up.
Since he phenomenon s a ed o gain popula i y a he end o he 90s, i
has been e y common in he Is aeli media discou se o conside psy ance
pa ies as a eac ion o he p essu e caused by he con lic and by he o de
imposed by he mili a y se ice. In pa icula , many jou nalis s iden i ied he
1982 Lebanon wa as a u ning poin , a e which many young people would
ha e s a ed o lose ai h in he Zionis p ojec , which had supposedly jus-
i ied he sac i ice o he coun y un il hen. Posi ions o his kind a e well
ep esen ed by he wo ds o Assa Sagi (2000), one o he i s jou nalis s o
ex ensi ely commen on ance pa ies. In his amous a icle called “Dionysus
in Zion” he di ec ly connec ed he di usion o hese new hedonis ic p ac ices
o he di icul condi ion ha Is aeli you h was acing and ha , in his opinion,
was no longe suppo ed by a sha ed ideology:
“The bu den Is aeli socie y places upon i s you h has played, no doub ,
a decisi e ole in he Dionysian ou bu s o he pas decade. The poli ical,
social and economic eali ies ha su ound he young Is aeli ha e made
him pa icula ly ulne able o he cha ms o he god o wine and e ili y.
Howe e , he esponse o his call would no ha e been so o e whelming had
Is aeli socie y no ailed o p o ide i s young wi h a iable al e na i e e hos.
The neo-pagan ecs a ic e i al has illed he acuum le by he demise o
he old Zionism, and has been uelled by a mis us el by many you h
owa ds any hing eminiscen o he g andiose slogans and u opian p omi-
ses o an ea lie day” (Sagi 2000).
The i s schola o in es iga e on he psy ance phenomenon in he coun-
y was he Is aeli an h opologis B yan Meadan, who i s published in 2006
he esul o his esea ch based on a p olonged e hnog aphic ieldwo k inside
psychedelic pa ies. Also Meadan obse es a connec ion be ween psy ance
and he ques ioning o he sac i ices and obliga ions implied by he Zionis
p ojec . In pa icula , he au ho iden i ies he hea y media blame and he
police ep ession occu ed du ing he i s pe iod o pa ies in he 90s as he
main ac o s ha igge ed in many ancis im a eeling o de achmen om
hei socie y, pushing hem o ques ion hei condi ion and o seek an al e na-
i e iden i ica ion in he psychedelic ne wo k:
“[…] he Zionis iden i y, which b ough hem o join comba uni s o
olun ee o ex ended se ice in he mili a y, begins o al e and ade. I s
signi icance o he ancis s lessens, and he e en s hey expe ience a he
FROM GOA TO RABIN SQUARE: NOTES FOR A RESEARCH ON THE USES…  235
On he ollowing 23 d o May, he o ganise s o he pa y eleased a ideo
o he e en on hei YouTube channel, signi ican ly en i led “Pu im 2012
– Agains All Odds.” The ideo opens wi h he images o he ocke launch
b oadcas ed by he na ional news on Channel 2. While he oice-o e o he
jou nalis lis s he names o he a ec ed owns (including he ci ies nea he
loca ion whe e he pa y was aking place), a psy ance ack slowly inc eases
in olume oge he wi h he sound o a helicop e in ligh , and he images o
he news gi e way o an ae ial sho showing jus sand o a ew seconds, hen
ising up e ealing he p esence o housands o people and hund eds o en s
and ca s ga he ed a ound he big sound sys em moun ed in he middle o he
dese .19
Fu he in es iga ion would be needed be o e d awing any conclusion, bu
cases as such seem o sugges ha he ela ion be ween he daily expe ience
o he con lic and he meaning gi en o pa ies by i s pa icipan s is mo e
complex and ambiguous han i could seem a a i s look. F om a close poin
o iew, pa ies do no appea me ely as a eac ion o some so , bu as a phe-
nomenon ha engages wi h “ he si ua ion” in di e en senses. In pa icula , i
seems ha when episodes linked o he con lic in ol e a pa y mo e closely,
pa icipan s a e aced wi h i and hei choices ge deepe implica ions: he
decision o s op o no o s op a pa y, o s ay o o go away, he way hings a e
p esen ed du ing he pa y, and he e ms used o accoun he s o y la e , all
his a ains a poli ical dimension. In he pa icula con ex o Is ael hen, a a e
pa y, some hing usually depic ed by he media wo ldwide as he exp ession
o a desi e o obli e a e and sub e a daily li e condi ion, and conside ed as
such by some schola s as well, migh become ins ead an unexpec ed occasion
o pa icipan s o hink he con lic and o posi ion hemsel es in ela ion o
i , e en i no necessa ily h ough an awa e e lec ion. The pa icipa ion in a
si ua ion ha blends he eeling o oge he ness gi en by he pa y ( equen ly
deepened by he use o psycho-ac i e subs ances) wi h he com ade-like soli-
da i y gi en by he sha ing o a po en ially dange ous and poli ically ele an
si ua ion, migh es ablish a bond which anscends he psy ance ne wo k
i sel , emb acing a b oade iden i ica ion – na ional, gene a ional, poli ical –
linked o a pa icula li e condi ion.
T ance music could hen be conside ed as a cen al elemen o his
iden i ica ion and pe o ma i e p ac ices. Following he accoun s o my
in e locu o s, I suppose ha his music ac ually became he sound ack o he
mili a y yea s o many young soldie s, no jus because o hei a endance o
pa ies, bu also o being he kind music appea ing in hei mobile phones and
MP3 playe s, lis ened o du ing ans e s and aining sessions, and pe haps
19 “Moksha P ojec P esen s – Pu im 2012 – Agains All Odds” (uploaded 23/05/2012), a ailable
om < h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =h57aADJL1Lg& =1s > (las access in Feb ua y 2019).

236  GIORGIO GRISTINA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
some imes also du ing he e y mili a y ope a ions (simila ly o wha has been
epo ed in s udies abou he US oops in A ghanis an and I aq – see Pieslak
2009; Sume a 2013). Obse ing g oups o soldie s in uni o m dancing oge he
o he hy hm o psy ance in on o hei buses pa ked du ing a ans e (as
I ha e seen once nea Mi zpe Ramon), o on op o hei anks e u ning om
an ope a ion in Gaza (as can be seen in se e al YouTube ideos),20 seems o
suppo his hypo hesis.
FINAL REMARKS
As epo ed abo e, since i s a i al in Is ael, psychedelic ance g adually shi ed
om a ela i ely small and clandes ine mo emen in o a big ne wo k wi h many
e en s happening egula ly and a high numbe o people in ol ed. Du ing he
i s pe iod o pa ies in he 1990s, he a mosphe e o blame and ep ession
c ea ed a ound he phenomenon con ibu ed o label i as a de ian p ac ice,
and e en ually igge ed a se ies o p o es s. Simila s uggles happened in
many o he coun ies we e o he illegal a e mo emen s sp ead, i s o all in
he UK, we e a es we e o icially banned wi h he no o ious C iminal Jus ice
Ac o 1994, ollowed by massi e s ee demons a ions (see Reynolds 1998).
Because young ancis im expe ienced a e y pa icula li e condi ion ma ked
by he bu den o con lic and mili a y obliga ion, and many o hem s a ed o
exp ess some kind o disillusion owa ds he na ional p ojec ha had jus i ied
ha sac i ice un il hen, he excep ional sp ead o psychedelic pa ies in Is ael
was ini ially explained wi h he assump ion ha hose hedonis ic p ac ices and
paci is ic discou ses we e pe o ming a empo a y sub e sion o ha condi ion.
An in e p e a ion o his kind could be comp ehensible in ela ion o he
con ex in which he i s pa ies began o sp ead, e en i a deepe his o io-
g aphic wo k would be needed o unde s and how he ela ion be ween he
20 I am awa e ha he empi ical alue o a ideo uploaded on YouTube is highly ques ionable.
Howe e , I hink ha he p esence o a signi ican quan i y o ideos on he opic could be seen as
in e es ing da a in i sel , e en wi hou being able o assess he au hen ici y o i s con en , which is
oo ele an no o be a leas men ioned in his a icle. Fo a e lec ion on he use o his kind o
digi al sou ces in e hnog aphic esea ch in he Is aeli a my con ex , see S ein and Kun sman (2015).
I lis he e jus a ew ele an links, ela ed o 2014 ope a ion Tzuk Ei an (P o ec i e Edge) in Gaza:
1. “Is aeli soldie s dance psy ance :)” (uploaded 28/07/2014, a ailable om < h ps://www.you ube.
com/wa ch? =95jHTg UCJs >); 2. “IDF Soldie Pa y 2014” (uploaded 2/08/2014, consul ed om
< h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =dUCPdX8nPCk >); 3. “Is aeli soldie s dancing in Gaza Bo de .
Ope a ion P o ec i e Edge” (uploaded 23/07/2014, a ailable om < h ps://www.you ube.com/
wa ch? =2hqiKxAhBV8 >); 4. “Is aeli soldie s (IDF) pa y ha d – dance disco echno a my anks
es i al” (uploaded 4/01/2015, a ailable om < h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =4oo4B9bcW6g >);
5. “The NaNach B igade dancing wi h IDF Soldie s (July 2014)” (uploaded 25/07/2014, a ailable
om < h ps://www.you ube.com/wa ch? =Yk_-be qMs >); 6. “B esle Is ael, Emuna Ou each and
Ope a ion ‘P o ec i e Edge’ ” (uploaded 22/07/2014, a ailable om < h ps://www.you ube.com/
wa ch? =uu54gJn 4jw >).
FROM GOA TO RABIN SQUARE: NOTES FOR A RESEARCH ON THE USES…  237
mili a y expe ience and he sp ead o psy ance de eloped and changed o e
ime, and o explo e any possible connec ion be ween he psy ance ne wo k
and o he paci is mo emen s in Is ael and in e na ionally, as well as wi h
o he p e-exis ing you h subcul u es.
Bu he sub e sion explana ion seems oo simplis ic when applied o he
p esen momen . Taking in o accoun he obse a ions epo ed abo e, I sug-
ges ins ead ha he e a e oday a ious uses o ance music and pa ies, ca -
ied on by di e en ac o s, and ha dis inc discou ses co-exis in he ne wo k.
Pa ies a e now widesp ead and a ended by qui e a high numbe o people,
mos ly young people who a e doing hei mili a y se ice in he mean ime;
ye , psy ance is s ill equen ly depic ed by he media and conside ed by pa -
icipan s hemsel es as a de ian p ac ice. I s ill con eys a discou se akin o
he a o emen ioned PLUR he o ic, while a he same ime o he hemes and
images popula e he a ious exp essions o he ne wo k.
In his sense, I hink ha he psy ance phenomenon and “ he si ua ion”
in e ac in a mo e complex and ambiguous way: pa ies do no jus pe o m
a sub e sion o he con lic scena io bu can also be hemsel es cha ged wi h
a poli ical alue, especially when episodes linked o he mili a y occupa ion
in e sec indi ec ly wi h hem, appa en ly igge ing an iden i ica ion ha
anscends psy ance i sel . Consequen ly, he di e en exp essions o he psy-
ance ne wo k ( e bal, isual, e c.) seem o inco po a e symbolic elemen s
linked o wa and mili a isa ion, and ance music i sel seems o ha e become
he sound ack o hese expe iences o many young soldie s.
A his espec , i would be c ucial o be e in es iga e he ela ion be ween
he Is aeli psy ance ne wo k and he g owing bu s ill li le explo ed Pales-
inian a e mo emen . The only s udy on he opic which I am awa e o a
he p esen ime, by Ka kabi (2013), seems o sugges ha hese a es a e
no less in es ed o a poli ical alue and ha Pales inian a e s do pa icipa e
occasionally in pa ies in he Is aeli side o he bo de . Explo ing he dynamics
o hese encoun e s and he his o ical and geo-poli ical p ocesses unde lying
he de elopmen o he wo mo emen s would help o be e unde s and how
psychedelic ance music may be connec ed o a poli ical o na ional discou se,
wi h di e en pu poses, in he con ex o con lic .
238  GIORGIO GRISTINA e nog á ica  e e ei o de 2019  23 (1): 221-239
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Receção da e são o iginal / O iginal e sion 2016 / 12 / 12
Receção da e são e is a / Re ised e sion 2018 / 02 / 23
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