Perceptions of the narrative of the 'other' among Arab and Jewish adolescents in Israel: Between peace talks and violent events

Shifra Sagy, Ariel Ayalon, Khansaa Diab

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

One of the major challenges for the process of peace building is to overcome the rigid structure of the socio-psychological repertoire that accompanies it. Our longitudinal study examined one element of this repertoire among Jewish and Arab adolescents in Israel: the cognitive legitimacy and the emotional reactions toward the historical narrative of the opponent. We focused our question on the impact of the socio-political context and the role of the violent reality in the development of these perceptions among youth. Data were collected in four stages (1999-2000, 2002, 2004, and 2007) among various samples of Arab and Jewish high school students (10th and 12th graders). The results showed that among the Jewish adolescents, the readiness to legitimate Palestinian narratives significantly decreased during violent periods. Among the Arab students, the impact of their difficult status as a Palestinian minority in the State of Israel is reflected in their relatively high level of readiness to accept both narratives. The results are discussed from social, cultural, and developmental perspectives with a focus on the role of the conflictual reality itself in the development of the sociopsychological repertoire among youth.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)191-206
Number of pages16
JournalIntercultural Education
Volume22
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2011

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Israeli-Palestinian conflict
  • Legitimacy of the 'other'
  • Perceptions of narratives

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Education

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Perceptions of the narrative of the 'other' among Arab and Jewish adolescents in Israel: Between peace talks and violent events'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this