Challenges to the Political and National Identity of Female Arab Teachers Teaching in an Ethnocentric Education System

• In Event: Considering International Teachers' Perspectives

Abstract

This research explores the challenges of minoritized Arab teachers’ national and political identity in the ethnocentric Jewish education system. A qualitative design employed interviews with 20 female Arab teachers teaching in Jewish schools to unravel their unique national and political identities in a contested national-political environment. Findings indicate that their induction in Jewish schools involves coping with different challenges including heightened racism following the conflict in Gaza, reinforcing circles of belonging and identity formation. These findings contribute to theory, policy, and praxis by reconceptualizing the induction of endogenous minorities in an ethnically segregated system overshadowed by constant conflict.

Author

• Eman Abo-Zaed Arar, Texas State University