Ayman Agbaria
Biographic Data
| ID | 764366 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ayman Agbaria |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ayman |
| FAMILY NAME | Agbaria |
| SIGNATURE | AGBARIA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Haifa |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0992-5806 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 35 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 100 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 35 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
‘Justice before god’: Critical Islamic education based on the work of Tariq Ramadan
The field of Islamic education has traditionally focused on devotional practices that emphasise rote memorisation and adherence to established doctrines. However, increasing demands for educational frameworks that prepare students for life in multicultural and secular societies, prompt interest in critical Islamic religious education (CIRE). The work of controversial Swiss-born scholar Tariq Ramadan offers significant contributions to this discou…
Custodians and Institutionalists: The Role of the Palestinian Cultural Elite in Israel
This study examines how the Palestinian Arab cultural elite in Israel, divided between institutional and custodian currents, navigates the intersecting pressures of national identity, political exclusion, and evolving cultural regimes. The findings reveal that the cultural elite is far from monolithic, comprising two interwoven yet distinct camps, each grounded in a common national identity but shaped by different generational experiences. Custod…
Educational Influence on Political Culture: Insights from Israel’s Arab Political Elite
Same route, different destinations: A cluster analysis of student-teacher types among Palestinian student-teachers living in Israel
The main purpose of the present study was to examine the typology of Palestinian student-teachers living in Israel according to four variables: (a) the type of motivation, (b) perceived suitability, (c) career choice satisfaction and (d) student-teacher commitment. Data were collected from 113 first-year Palestinian Arab students studying at teacher training colleges in Israel. questionnaires and interviews served as methods to collect data. clus…
Spiritual and indigenous funds of knowledge: How Palestinian Muslim teachers reclaim Islam and citizenship education in Israel
Scholars have argued for better integration of religion and citizenship education through overarching goals of interreligious tolerance and inclusive citizenship. Yet, such debates often neglect the political dimensions of these subjects. In this study, we explore how Palestinian Muslim teachers in Israel interpret the intersections of Islam and citizenship education and how they draw on this intersection in their teaching. Through qualitative in…
Education for Religion: An Islamic Perspective
This essay proposes a novel approach to religious education, one that stands in stark contrast to the often rigid and dogmatic nature of traditional religious instruction. The proposed approach seeks to cultivate deep awareness within students regarding their inherent limitations and their role as entrusted stewards in the grand design of God. It encourages students to move away from the temptation of godlike aspirations, such as the pursuit of b…
Educating for a Palestinian-Israeli identity in the Young Communist League of Israel (Banki): Tensions and challenges
This article examines the involvement of political parties in education, focusing on these parties’ youth movements. Specifically, the article examines the youth movement of The Young Communist League of Israel (Banki) and analyzes its educational goals and strategies in the context of the Arab Palestinian minority in Israel. In doing so, the article reveals some of the tensions and challenges inherited in Banki’s educational work as it attempts …
I must be a bad Muslim to be good for them”: Teaching about civic issues in Islamic education in Israel
Many schools advocates for the integration of religious education (RE) and citizenship education (CE), especially in the context of multicultural societies. Yet, how this integration is to happen is contested, due to the politicized nature of religion and citizenship. To explore the potential intersections of these two subjects, we interviewed Palestinian Islam teachers in Israel, to gain further insights into how they integrate civic issues in t…
How to Read the Quran in Religious Islamic Education: What Educators Can Learn from the Work of Mohammed Arkoun
The study of the Quran is central to Religious Islamic Education (RIE). Exposed to different political and social pressures, teachers in RIE still struggle between traditional approaches concerning the divine nature of the Qur'an and more secular approaches emphasizing the historicity and critical analysis of the religious text. Mohammed Arkoun (d. 2010), an Algerian-born Sorbonne professor, offered a hermeneutical methodology for reading the Qur…
‘From the wells’: Teaching openness in Judaism and Islam towards a shared society in Israel
This article discusses the case study of a programme for Jewish and Palestinian educators in Israel and our initial insights into the outcome of the initiative. The programme aims to address racism, segregation, and prejudice and to support educators to teach culture and tradition in a more humanistic, inclusive, and critical way. To achieve this, it draws on inter-religious and intercultural dialogue. We will discuss how this method is rooted in…
“Minority within minority” or a “minority of two majorities”: Religious education and the making of Christian identity in Israel
This qualitative article examines the making of a distinct Christian identity through confessional teaching of Christianity. As there had been very little empirical research on teachers of religious education and none on teaching Christianity in Israel, this pioneering paper investigates the teachers’ views on their goals and challenges, while analysing how Christian identity is constructed, reworked and negotiated in their practice. In doing so,…
Between collaboration and conflict: The exploration of micropolitical processes during reform enactment in an Arab junior high school in Israel
This article discusses a qualitative case study that investigated the micropolitical processes inside an Arab junior high school in Israel during the enactment of the New Horizon reform. Our analysis focuses on how the school’s educational staff interprets and translates the reform into practice, how their professional identities have developed along this process and on the role of their background as members of the Arab-Palestinian community. We…
Education for Religious Pluralism in Islam: One Book or Series of Books, a Singular Message or Myriad Messages
As the literature on the philosophical and theological aspects of religious pluralism concerning Islamic education is indeed scarce and sporadic, this article discusses the complexity of religious pluralism in the Quranic discourse, while highlighting the tension between inclusive and exclusive interpretations. In doing so, the article reflects on the notion of religious pluralism, arguing that this notion should not be approached as a truth to b…
Ethno-nationalism in citizenship education in Israel: An analysis of the official civics textbook
Over the past few years, the civics curriculum for Israeli high-schools has become the centre of a heated political debate. Following this debate, in May 2016 a revised official textbook was introduced. This paper draws on an in-depth analysis of the revised official textbook, comparing it to the previous official textbook published in 2000. The analysis focuses on the discursive changes that took place regarding the ways in which the revised tex…
Legitimising populist education in Israel: The role of religion
This article analyses two case studies from the Israeli education system that demonstrate how religious themes and language are used in service of populist politics. First, ‘Being Citizens in Israel’ is the standard high school civics textbook that underwent a major revision in 2015. The second case study focuses on new school programmes that focus on the rebuilding of the Third Jewish temple, and the inclusion of references to the Third Temple i…
The Nation-State Law, Populist Politics, Colonialism, and Religion in Israel: Linkages and Transformations
This essay discusses the content of the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, focusing on its religious language. In doing so, it links the law with three points of gravity: religious-ethnonationalism, populism, and colonialism. Specifically, it highlights how the Nation-State Law is a manifestation of the religious-right politics in Israel, which seeks to consolidate the Jewish nature of the state, to entwine the nature of …
Contact religious authority and the creation of hyper-solidarity: Reflections on Israeli politics and Islamic political thought
The purpose of this paper is to problematize the place of religious authority in politics and education. Specifically, this essay highlights the role of religious authority in establishing a moral order that values compliance and conformity at the expense of liberty and critique. In doing so, the essay reflects on Israeli politics and Islamic political thought. Pondering on both, the essay explains how the authority conferred through the use of r…
The “social soldier” and the mission to “retrieve the lost honor”: An ideal image of the desired graduate of an Israeli general pre-military academy
The plurality of the Global Middle Class(es) and their school choices - moving the 'field' forward empirically and theoretically
The plurality of the Global Middle Class(es) and their school choices–moving the ‘field’ forward empirically and theoretically
Religion and the global middle class: Towards a New Research Agenda
This essay discusses the role of religion as a central facet when researching the emerging social group – the global middle class (GMC). It is argued here that religion is a particularly relevant feature for the constitution of this social group because of the GMC’s transnational and cosmopolitan character. In this essay, I will draw on several examples focused on Islamic education provision in Western, pre-dominantly Christian societies to illus…
Israeli education and the Apartheid in South Africa: Ongoing insights
Focusing on education policy and politics in Israel, this essay examines how ethnic segregation is established and sheds light on the latest curricular developments that place a heavy emphasis on Jewish identity. The first part of the paper underscores the rising influence of the radical right in Israel and it’s political theology. The second part presents the Apartheid education in South Africa. In doing so, this part underscores the roles of se…
Navigating Israeli citizenship: How do Arab-Palestinian teachers civicize their pupils
This study examines citizenship education in Israel from the point of view of Arab teachers, as they rework and negotiate the content and boundaries of their Israeli citizenship. Specifically, the paper studies how teachers of citizenship education in Arab high schools in Israel perceive their sociopolitical reality, how they respond to it in their classrooms, and how they conceptualize Israeli citizenship for their pupils. In doing so, the paper…
The ‘right’ education in Israel: Segregation, religious ethnonationalism, and depoliticized professionalism
This paper underlines three foundations upon which the current condition of the Israeli education system is predicated. These are: (a) the separation between Palestinians and Jews in the Israeli education system and isolating both from any significant contact; (b) endorsing a strong ethno-religious ethos and narratives that widen the chasm between the Jewish ‘us’ and the Palestinian ‘them’; and (c) shaping education for the Palestinians in Israel…
Islamic Jurisprudence of Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat): The Case of the Palestinian Muslim Minority in Israel
This article examines the doctrine of Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat) in the context of the Palestinian Muslim community in Israel. The first part discusses the origins and goals of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat. After outlining the particular historical and political context of the Palestinian minority in Israel, the article focuses on the ethno-religious political mobilization developed by the Muslim community vis-à-vis the state’s…
Neo-Liberalism and Practices of Selection in Arab Education in Israel: Between Control and Empowerment
Similar to other national contexts, in Israel since the 1980s we have witnessed the emergence of neo-liberal policies in education. However, very little attention has been given to the ways in which they affect the school level and even less attention has been given to the impact of these policy changes on Arab schools in Israel. This article offers a micro-politic policy analysis of the ways in which neo-liberal discourses and practices of selec…
Internal displacement and health among the Palestinian minority in Israel
Two states for three peoples: The 'Palestinian-Israeli' in the Future Vision Documents of the Palestinians in Israel
This article focuses on the Vision Documents of the Arab civil society organizations in Israel as an act of citizenship and an expression of the politics of contention used by the Palestinians in Israel. We argue that these documents challenge both the political inclusiveness of the identity of Israel as a 'Jewish and democratic' state, and the political continuity of collective identity of the Palestinian people. With these documents, the Arab c…
The ‘right’ education in Israel: Segregation, religious ethnonationalism, and depoliticized professionalism
This paper underlines three foundations upon which the current condition of the Israeli education system is predicated. These are: (a) the separation between Palestinians and Jews in the Israeli education system and isolating both from any significant contact; (b) endorsing a strong ethno-religious ethos and narratives that widen the chasm between the Jewish ‘us’ and the Palestinian ‘them’; and (c) shaping education for the Palestinians in Israel…
In your face’ democracy: Education for belonging and its challenges in Israel
This article will juxtapose the goals and implications of two pedagogical programmes that promote education for belonging in Israel. Representing the official knowledge of the Ministry of Education, the first is the ‘ 100 Concepts in Heritage, Zionism and Democracy ’ curriculum. The second, which embodies the counter knowledge produced and disseminated by Arab civil society organizations, is entitled ‘ Identity and Belonging: The Basic Concepts P…
The plurality of the Global Middle Class(es) and their school choices - moving the 'field' forward empirically and theoretically
The plurality of the Global Middle Class(es) and their school choices–moving the ‘field’ forward empirically and theoretically
Arab civil society and education in Israel: The Arab Pedagogical Council as a contentious performance to achieve national recognition
Focusing on recent developments in the field of education, this article grapples with the educational activism of Arab civil society in Israel. Specifically, it presents a case study of a recent initiative to establish an independent Arab Pedagogical Council (APC). I argue that this initiative, although controversial and challenging to the very definition of Israel as both a Jewish nation-state and a democracy, should be considered to be an act o…
Navigating Israeli citizenship: How do Arab-Palestinian teachers civicize their pupils
This study examines citizenship education in Israel from the point of view of Arab teachers, as they rework and negotiate the content and boundaries of their Israeli citizenship. Specifically, the paper studies how teachers of citizenship education in Arab high schools in Israel perceive their sociopolitical reality, how they respond to it in their classrooms, and how they conceptualize Israeli citizenship for their pupils. In doing so, the paper…
The “social soldier” and the mission to “retrieve the lost honor”: An ideal image of the desired graduate of an Israeli general pre-military academy
Neo-Liberalism and Practices of Selection in Arab Education in Israel: Between Control and Empowerment
Similar to other national contexts, in Israel since the 1980s we have witnessed the emergence of neo-liberal policies in education. However, very little attention has been given to the ways in which they affect the school level and even less attention has been given to the impact of these policy changes on Arab schools in Israel. This article offers a micro-politic policy analysis of the ways in which neo-liberal discourses and practices of selec…
Educating for a Palestinian-Israeli identity in the Young Communist League of Israel (Banki): Tensions and challenges
This article examines the involvement of political parties in education, focusing on these parties’ youth movements. Specifically, the article examines the youth movement of The Young Communist League of Israel (Banki) and analyzes its educational goals and strategies in the context of the Arab Palestinian minority in Israel. In doing so, the article reveals some of the tensions and challenges inherited in Banki’s educational work as it attempts …
Ethno-nationalism in citizenship education in Israel: An analysis of the official civics textbook
Over the past few years, the civics curriculum for Israeli high-schools has become the centre of a heated political debate. Following this debate, in May 2016 a revised official textbook was introduced. This paper draws on an in-depth analysis of the revised official textbook, comparing it to the previous official textbook published in 2000. The analysis focuses on the discursive changes that took place regarding the ways in which the revised tex…
Education for Religious Pluralism in Islam: One Book or Series of Books, a Singular Message or Myriad Messages
As the literature on the philosophical and theological aspects of religious pluralism concerning Islamic education is indeed scarce and sporadic, this article discusses the complexity of religious pluralism in the Quranic discourse, while highlighting the tension between inclusive and exclusive interpretations. In doing so, the article reflects on the notion of religious pluralism, arguing that this notion should not be approached as a truth to b…
The Nation-State Law, Populist Politics, Colonialism, and Religion in Israel: Linkages and Transformations
This essay discusses the content of the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, focusing on its religious language. In doing so, it links the law with three points of gravity: religious-ethnonationalism, populism, and colonialism. Specifically, it highlights how the Nation-State Law is a manifestation of the religious-right politics in Israel, which seeks to consolidate the Jewish nature of the state, to entwine the nature of …
Religion and the global middle class: Towards a New Research Agenda
This essay discusses the role of religion as a central facet when researching the emerging social group – the global middle class (GMC). It is argued here that religion is a particularly relevant feature for the constitution of this social group because of the GMC’s transnational and cosmopolitan character. In this essay, I will draw on several examples focused on Islamic education provision in Western, pre-dominantly Christian societies to illus…
Islamic Jurisprudence of Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat): The Case of the Palestinian Muslim Minority in Israel
This article examines the doctrine of Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat) in the context of the Palestinian Muslim community in Israel. The first part discusses the origins and goals of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat. After outlining the particular historical and political context of the Palestinian minority in Israel, the article focuses on the ethno-religious political mobilization developed by the Muslim community vis-à-vis the state’s…
The case of Palestinian civil society in Israel: Islam, civil society, and educational activism
This article examines the educational activism of two Arab civil organizations in Israel: the Follow-Up Committee on Arab Education (FUCAE) and the Eqraa Association (Eqraa). On the one hand, it explores the possibilities and limitations of the involvement of the FUCAE in the state's Arab education system, as a secular organization that is heavily engaged in the contentious identity politics of the Arab minority in Israel. On the other hand, it r…
When Shortage Coexists With Surplus of Teachers: The Case of Arab Teachers in Israel
This article explores the nexus between pre-service teacher education polices and the supply and demand of minority teachers. It problematizes the recent reports on teacher shortages in Israel, which tend to focus on the shortage of Jewish teachers while dealing with the surplus of Arab teachers only tangentially. Specifically, this article examines how teacher education policy in Israel generates a surplus supply of Arab teachers through 3 mecha…
Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel
Oded Haklai, PALESTINIAN ETHNONATIONALISM IN ISRAEL, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011, 256 pp., $59.95 (hard) In a well-documented book, Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel, ...
I must be a bad Muslim to be good for them”: Teaching about civic issues in Islamic education in Israel
Many schools advocates for the integration of religious education (RE) and citizenship education (CE), especially in the context of multicultural societies. Yet, how this integration is to happen is contested, due to the politicized nature of religion and citizenship. To explore the potential intersections of these two subjects, we interviewed Palestinian Islam teachers in Israel, to gain further insights into how they integrate civic issues in t…
Legitimising populist education in Israel: The role of religion
This article analyses two case studies from the Israeli education system that demonstrate how religious themes and language are used in service of populist politics. First, ‘Being Citizens in Israel’ is the standard high school civics textbook that underwent a major revision in 2015. The second case study focuses on new school programmes that focus on the rebuilding of the Third Jewish temple, and the inclusion of references to the Third Temple i…
Israeli education and the Apartheid in South Africa: Ongoing insights
Focusing on education policy and politics in Israel, this essay examines how ethnic segregation is established and sheds light on the latest curricular developments that place a heavy emphasis on Jewish identity. The first part of the paper underscores the rising influence of the radical right in Israel and it’s political theology. The second part presents the Apartheid education in South Africa. In doing so, this part underscores the roles of se…
To nail a pudding: Metaphorical analysis of the social studies education discourse community on globalization
Despite the abundance of studies on globalization in educational research, globalization is often approached as a monolithic and standardized concept. Focusing on the social studies education in the USA, this study explores how the various metaphors through which globalization is framed embrace particular perspectives on how to conceive and educate about globalization. Specifically, this study discusses seven conceptual metaphors: the global as a…
Debating globalization in social studies education: Approaching globalization historically and discursively
The purpose of this paper is to explore the dominant positions in the debates on globalization in American social studies education. Specifically, the paper illustrates that, first, globalization is conceived of as more of an unprecedented new age and less of a historical development. Second, it is conceived of as more of a natural process and less as an ideological project. All in all, this paper argues that globalization should be approached as…
Internal displacement and health among the Palestinian minority in Israel
Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel
Oded Haklai, PALESTINIAN ETHNONATIONALISM IN ISRAEL, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011, 256 pp., $59.95 (hard) In a well-documented book, Palestinian Ethnonationalism in Israel, ...
Two states for three peoples: The 'Palestinian-Israeli' in the Future Vision Documents of the Palestinians in Israel
This article focuses on the Vision Documents of the Arab civil society organizations in Israel as an act of citizenship and an expression of the politics of contention used by the Palestinians in Israel. We argue that these documents challenge both the political inclusiveness of the identity of Israel as a 'Jewish and democratic' state, and the political continuity of collective identity of the Palestinian people. With these documents, the Arab c…
The case of Palestinian civil society in Israel: Islam, civil society, and educational activism
This article examines the educational activism of two Arab civil organizations in Israel: the Follow-Up Committee on Arab Education (FUCAE) and the Eqraa Association (Eqraa). On the one hand, it explores the possibilities and limitations of the involvement of the FUCAE in the state's Arab education system, as a secular organization that is heavily engaged in the contentious identity politics of the Arab minority in Israel. On the other hand, it r…
When Shortage Coexists With Surplus of Teachers: The Case of Arab Teachers in Israel
This article explores the nexus between pre-service teacher education polices and the supply and demand of minority teachers. It problematizes the recent reports on teacher shortages in Israel, which tend to focus on the shortage of Jewish teachers while dealing with the surplus of Arab teachers only tangentially. Specifically, this article examines how teacher education policy in Israel generates a surplus supply of Arab teachers through 3 mecha…
Arab civil society and education in Israel: The Arab Pedagogical Council as a contentious performance to achieve national recognition
Focusing on recent developments in the field of education, this article grapples with the educational activism of Arab civil society in Israel. Specifically, it presents a case study of a recent initiative to establish an independent Arab Pedagogical Council (APC). I argue that this initiative, although controversial and challenging to the very definition of Israel as both a Jewish nation-state and a democracy, should be considered to be an act o…
Language and Identity in the Israel–palestine Conflict: The Politics of Self-Perception in the Middle East
Camelia Suleiman, LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY IN THE ISRAEL–PALESTINE CONFLICT: THE POLITICS OF SELF-PERCEPTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, London: I.B. Tauris, October 2011, 288 pp., $100.00 (hb) This book prov
Neo-Liberalism and Practices of Selection in Arab Education in Israel: Between Control and Empowerment
Similar to other national contexts, in Israel since the 1980s we have witnessed the emergence of neo-liberal policies in education. However, very little attention has been given to the ways in which they affect the school level and even less attention has been given to the impact of these policy changes on Arab schools in Israel. This article offers a micro-politic policy analysis of the ways in which neo-liberal discourses and practices of selec…
In your face’ democracy: Education for belonging and its challenges in Israel
This article will juxtapose the goals and implications of two pedagogical programmes that promote education for belonging in Israel. Representing the official knowledge of the Ministry of Education, the first is the ‘ 100 Concepts in Heritage, Zionism and Democracy ’ curriculum. The second, which embodies the counter knowledge produced and disseminated by Arab civil society organizations, is entitled ‘ Identity and Belonging: The Basic Concepts P…
The ‘right’ education in Israel: Segregation, religious ethnonationalism, and depoliticized professionalism
This paper underlines three foundations upon which the current condition of the Israeli education system is predicated. These are: (a) the separation between Palestinians and Jews in the Israeli education system and isolating both from any significant contact; (b) endorsing a strong ethno-religious ethos and narratives that widen the chasm between the Jewish ‘us’ and the Palestinian ‘them’; and (c) shaping education for the Palestinians in Israel…
Islamic Jurisprudence of Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat): The Case of the Palestinian Muslim Minority in Israel
This article examines the doctrine of Jurisprudence of Muslim Minorities (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat) in the context of the Palestinian Muslim community in Israel. The first part discusses the origins and goals of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat. After outlining the particular historical and political context of the Palestinian minority in Israel, the article focuses on the ethno-religious political mobilization developed by the Muslim community vis-à-vis the state’s…
Israeli education and the Apartheid in South Africa: Ongoing insights
Focusing on education policy and politics in Israel, this essay examines how ethnic segregation is established and sheds light on the latest curricular developments that place a heavy emphasis on Jewish identity. The first part of the paper underscores the rising influence of the radical right in Israel and it’s political theology. The second part presents the Apartheid education in South Africa. In doing so, this part underscores the roles of se…
Navigating Israeli citizenship: How do Arab-Palestinian teachers civicize their pupils
This study examines citizenship education in Israel from the point of view of Arab teachers, as they rework and negotiate the content and boundaries of their Israeli citizenship. Specifically, the paper studies how teachers of citizenship education in Arab high schools in Israel perceive their sociopolitical reality, how they respond to it in their classrooms, and how they conceptualize Israeli citizenship for their pupils. In doing so, the paper…
Contact religious authority and the creation of hyper-solidarity: Reflections on Israeli politics and Islamic political thought
The purpose of this paper is to problematize the place of religious authority in politics and education. Specifically, this essay highlights the role of religious authority in establishing a moral order that values compliance and conformity at the expense of liberty and critique. In doing so, the essay reflects on Israeli politics and Islamic political thought. Pondering on both, the essay explains how the authority conferred through the use of r…
The “social soldier” and the mission to “retrieve the lost honor”: An ideal image of the desired graduate of an Israeli general pre-military academy
The plurality of the Global Middle Class(es) and their school choices - moving the 'field' forward empirically and theoretically
The plurality of the Global Middle Class(es) and their school choices–moving the ‘field’ forward empirically and theoretically
Religion and the global middle class: Towards a New Research Agenda
This essay discusses the role of religion as a central facet when researching the emerging social group – the global middle class (GMC). It is argued here that religion is a particularly relevant feature for the constitution of this social group because of the GMC’s transnational and cosmopolitan character. In this essay, I will draw on several examples focused on Islamic education provision in Western, pre-dominantly Christian societies to illus…
Ethno-nationalism in citizenship education in Israel: An analysis of the official civics textbook
Over the past few years, the civics curriculum for Israeli high-schools has become the centre of a heated political debate. Following this debate, in May 2016 a revised official textbook was introduced. This paper draws on an in-depth analysis of the revised official textbook, comparing it to the previous official textbook published in 2000. The analysis focuses on the discursive changes that took place regarding the ways in which the revised tex…
Legitimising populist education in Israel: The role of religion
This article analyses two case studies from the Israeli education system that demonstrate how religious themes and language are used in service of populist politics. First, ‘Being Citizens in Israel’ is the standard high school civics textbook that underwent a major revision in 2015. The second case study focuses on new school programmes that focus on the rebuilding of the Third Jewish temple, and the inclusion of references to the Third Temple i…
The Nation-State Law, Populist Politics, Colonialism, and Religion in Israel: Linkages and Transformations
This essay discusses the content of the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, focusing on its religious language. In doing so, it links the law with three points of gravity: religious-ethnonationalism, populism, and colonialism. Specifically, it highlights how the Nation-State Law is a manifestation of the religious-right politics in Israel, which seeks to consolidate the Jewish nature of the state, to entwine the nature of …
‘From the wells’: Teaching openness in Judaism and Islam towards a shared society in Israel
This article discusses the case study of a programme for Jewish and Palestinian educators in Israel and our initial insights into the outcome of the initiative. The programme aims to address racism, segregation, and prejudice and to support educators to teach culture and tradition in a more humanistic, inclusive, and critical way. To achieve this, it draws on inter-religious and intercultural dialogue. We will discuss how this method is rooted in…
“Minority within minority” or a “minority of two majorities”: Religious education and the making of Christian identity in Israel
This qualitative article examines the making of a distinct Christian identity through confessional teaching of Christianity. As there had been very little empirical research on teachers of religious education and none on teaching Christianity in Israel, this pioneering paper investigates the teachers’ views on their goals and challenges, while analysing how Christian identity is constructed, reworked and negotiated in their practice. In doing so,…
Between collaboration and conflict: The exploration of micropolitical processes during reform enactment in an Arab junior high school in Israel
This article discusses a qualitative case study that investigated the micropolitical processes inside an Arab junior high school in Israel during the enactment of the New Horizon reform. Our analysis focuses on how the school’s educational staff interprets and translates the reform into practice, how their professional identities have developed along this process and on the role of their background as members of the Arab-Palestinian community. We…
Sociology (32 works) · Political science (31 works) · Law (27 works) · Politics (24 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (23 works) · Law (19 works) · Pedagogy (14 works) · Gender Studies (13 works) · Jewish Identity and Society (13 works) · Theology (13 works)