Androcentric amnesia and patronage micromanagement: the Mutchnicks from Nahalal to Yeruham

ABSTRACT A case study of one nuclear family, the Mutchniks from Nahalal, focusing on the dynamic between its dominant patron, Pinchas, and its dominant matron, Rosa, and a spatial analysis of the “home away from home” they had built in Yeruham from 1956 to 1969. These two aspects tie together an article concerned with several interlocking questions. What kind of decisions make up an intergenerational family strategy, and what role do women play in planning and carrying it out? How can a history that is (mis)represented by contemporary sources produce a valuable analysis? How were patronage networks micromanaged? And how is keeping the privileged access to professional and financial opportunities in the frontier to certain groups of settlers related to long-term social climbing avenues?