Legitimizing Academic Knowledge in Religious Bounded Communities: Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Students in Israel's Higher Education

• In Event: 25.085 - Sheraton Roundtable One - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 25.085-8 - Educational Space, Academic Knowledge, and Student Experiences in International Contexts

Abstract

Against the backdrop of rapid growth in the educational engagement of religious and fundamentalist communities with modernity, the study examines this conflictual engagement in the context of the recent rise of Jewish ultra-Orthodox participation in Israeli higher education, asking: How do insular religious students legitimize their participation in academic learning? Through 27 semi-structured interviews with Haredi students, we uncovered four modes of legitimation: (1) Existential—viewing academic learning as a means for improved welfare; (2) Community-based—expressing communal tolerance towards academia; (3) Tailored—involving adaptation of the pedagogic environment to student needs and demands; (4) Epistemic—reconciling scientific and religious knowledge. While findings indicated a rise of educational enclaves with firm boundaries, these paradoxically foster greater affinity toward scientific knowledge.

Authors

• Oren Golan, University of Haifa

• Eldar Fehl, High Q global