Constrained Choice and Tactical Negotiations

Educated Druze Women Navigating Community, State, and Gender

Bibliographic Data

ID24229233
AuthorsRebecca Kook (0000-0002-3379-2185, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev), Janan Faraj Falah (Western Galilee College), Ayelet Harel-Shalev (0000-0001-9502-0095, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Conflict Management and Resolution Program, , Beer-Sheva, 8410501)
Year2026
Publication date2026-07-28
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Politics International Studies in Gender State & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1072-4745 • E-ISSN: 1468-2893
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/sp/jxag028
OpenAlexW7171619423
LanguageEN
References cited49

This study examines how educated, non-pious Druze women in Israel navigate the tension between individual advancement and community belonging through narrative analysis of group interviews with thirty-four women. Drawing on feminist theories of agency and belonging, we analyze the perspectives these women employ to narrate their life choices, their relationship with the community, and their commitment to conservative collective values. Our findings reveal that rather than experiencing individualistic aspirations and collective commitments as competing forces, Druze women consistently merge them through narrative strategies that blur the boundaries between the two. This research contributes to intersectionality theory by demonstrating how gender, ethnicity, religion, and education can create unique forms of agency rather than simply compound disadvantages. It challenges assumptions about individual versus collective identity, showing how educated minority women can serve as agents of gradual social transformation while preserving community bonds and relational autonomy.

agency · community belonging · educated women · Feminist theory · gender and ethnicity · Intersectionality · Minority women · relational autonomy · religion and education · sense of belonging · Social change · Gender and Feminist Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Jewish Identity and Society

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