Politicised celebrity in a conflict-ridden society: The Elor Azaria case and celebritisation discourses in Israel

Research on celebrities in large-scale national and global contexts has traditionally focused on the ways in which celebrity culture reinforces hegemonic values and the social status quo to avoid alienating potential audiences. Through an examination of the celebritisation of Elor Azaria, an Israeli soldier who earned renown after he was put on trial for killing an incapacitated Palestinian assailant, we suggest that in a small scale, nationalistic and conflict-ridden society such as Israel, complementary global discourses of depoliticisation and local discourses of politicisation may occur, complicating the celebrity culture landscape. We demonstrate these convergent logics through an analysis of media discourse about Azaria, and other celebrities who were drawn into the affair, and consider theoretical implications for celebrity politics more broadly.