How do school-based ceremonies contribute to adolescents’ identity design? A case study in two Druze high schools

Abstract

This article discusses the contribution of school-based ceremonies in two Israeli Druze schools to shaping identity and deepening the sense of citizenship among Druze students. The Druze have a unique position in Israel as opposed to other Arabic-speaking Israelis, serving in the army and generally maintaining high levels of patriotism. State ceremonies, especially the memorial ceremonies of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), have gradually come to occupy a central place in the Israeli education system since 1948. The memorial ceremonies combine the cognitive and emotional dimensions. The historical information conveyed through them is combined with feelings of bereavement and loss and with stories of heroism and sacrifice. The study found that great emphasis is placed on these activities in the two Druze schools studied and that they strengthen the students’ Druze Israeli identity and sense of civic pride and responsibility, together with their unique Druze identity.

‘You don't have to be educated to help your child’: Parental involvement among first generation of higher education Druze students in Israel

“…The connection between Druze and Jews has always been strong in the State of Israel, especially among young people serving in the army (Saguy et al., 2020). Druze identity and Israeli identity are strong components of the identities of young Druze (Abbas, 2020). The Druze choose to be part of the Jewish state are exposed to its culture and serve in the compulsory army like the Jews (Shamai & Paul‐Binyamin, 2004), except for the Druze in the Golan Heights, to whom the Conscription Law does not apply due to their unique status (Falah, 2000).…”

Differences in attitudes toward terrorists: Type of terrorist act, terrorist ethnicity, and observer gender and cultural background

“…However, the Druze are a unique community in Israel (Kaufman, 2016). They express solidarity and close affiliation with the Jewish population, serve in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and distance themselves from the Israeli-Arab sector (Abbas, 2020; Nisan, 2010). Thus, the comparison between Muslims and Druze may uncover whether the differences between Jews and Arabs are related to ethnic affiliation or absence of solidarity.…”