ABSTRACT
The introduction describes Arieh Sharon's early life and conceptualizes it in relation to his future development. Sharon was born in Jarosław, Galicia, in 1900. After graduating from the Deutschen Technischen Hochschule in Brno, Czechoslovakia, where he studied science, civil engineering and architecture, he decided in 1919 to immigrate to Mandatory Palestine. There, Sharon joined a group of pioneers that established Kibbutz Gan Shmuel, and he played a prominent role in the building of various structures there. The chapter details Sharon's early years while discussing the architectural and building projects in which he was involved, as well as discussing his personal and social life. In many senses, these experiences shaped both his personal identity and his professional interests. Beyond the historization of Sharon's early years, the introduction offers a theorization of Sharon as a pragmatist and a socialist. The introduction also lays out the book's structure and content.
