Zionism countered the earlier invention of Judaism as a religion

Evidence

One of the more fruitful ways to understand Zionism is not to identify it as an attempt at secularizing Judaism (or Jewish traditions) through the invention of a national tradition. Predominant as such a description is, it nevertheless suffers from some acute deficiencies, not least of which is its lack of clarity as to the meaning of “secularization.” Instead, Zionism would be better understood if viewed as a counterreaction to another act of invention that preceded Zionism: the transformation of Judaism into a “religion” (or the “invention” of Jewish religion). — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 748

Categorization

• QUESTION: Worth chasing: does this ‘reaction against an invented category’ dynamic generalize to other nationalist revivals that emerged after an imperial/colonial religion-making project?
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
• XREF: connects to: Secular Zionism reinterpreted theology rather than departing from it; Jewishness was transposed from a nation’s religion into a national religion — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 836; Jewish religious symbols were harnessed because no modern common Jewish culture existed — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized:…, 850 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Jewishness was transposed from a nation’s religion into a national religion #expands (0.82) — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 836
• Secular Zionism reinterpreted theology rather than departing from it #corroborates (0.78)