Arab and Jewish Youth in Israel: Voicing National Injustice on Campus

Haifa University (HU) is the stage for a prolonged social drama between Arabs (20%) and Jews. 86 students (38 Arabs and 48 Jews) were interviewed on their experiences of injustice. Three major differences emerged. For the Arabs, 92% of injustice took place on campus compared to 40% for the Jews. Arabs attributed injustice to discrimination (60%), Jews to the actors' personal characteristics (58%); the Arabs transformed injustice events into a political struggle for national recognition, identity, and narratives. The analysis intimates that Arabs' "social being" is developing through the staging of negative expressive acts, namely, respect/contempt and power/weakness. Thus actors at HU can stage social processes, and change sites of surveillance and injustice into places of reconciliation and coexistence.     

The perception and utilisation of social support in times of cultural change: the case of Arabs in Israel

Arabs in Israel are currently undergoing a modernisation process characterised by a gradual shift from a collectivistic to an individualistic cultural orientation. During such a transition, perceptions and utilisation of social support assume great significance. This article examines perceptions and utilisation patterns of social support networks among Arabs in Israel. The research population consisted of 507 respondents, representative of the Arab population, randomly selected by means of a telephone survey. Findings are discussed within the context of modernisation processes, collectivistic and individualistic cultural orientations, and their association with the perception and utilisation of social support.     

Who Benefits the Most? The Unequal Allocation of Transfers in the Israeli Welfare State

Objective . This article critically examines contradictions within the Israeli welfare system, and asks how welfare transfers affect poverty for different social groups. Methods . Using data from Israel's 1996 Income Survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the analysis focuses on households with working-age heads, and compares poverty rates, before and after transfers among three groups: (1) recent immigrants; (2) Arabs; and (3) ultra-orthodox Jews ( Haredim ), distinguishing between couple- and female-headed households. Results . The results show that social welfare policy is more effective in aiding recent immigrants, who are entitled to special benefits, than aiding Arabs. The findings also show that transfers have a stronger effect in reducing poverty among female-headed families than among couple-headed families, thus reducing the gap between these two types of households. Conclusions . Israeli welfare policy reduces poverty, but this effect differs substantially by social group. While formally Israel is considered a universalistic welfare state, for historical and ideological reasons certain social groups, such as Jewish immigrants, have been favored and granted extra benefits, while others, such as Arabs, were neglected.     

大学生专业课程认同状况及其影响因素研究——以江苏省社会工作专业为例

通过调查分析,发现目前社会工作专业核心课程设置相对统一,分支课程设置比较分散,专业实习与国际标准差距明显。学生对社会工作专业课程和专业教材的满意度达到中等水平,对专业实习的认同度比较低。学生所在年级、进入大学之前和目前对社工的了解程度等个人因素,学校类型、专业实习时间等学校因素对专业课程、专业教材和专业实习的评价有显著影响。这主要与社会工作专业的助人特质和我国社会工作发展现状有关。如何完善社会工作实习机制、规范社会工作教材编制,是增强学生专业课程认同的关键。     

Knowledge and attitudes towards AIDS: a comparison between Arab and Jewish professionals living in Israel

This paper investigates similarities and differences between Arab and Jewish professionals living in Israel regarding their knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. Although AIDS in Israel is not considered to be a pressing crisis, the aim of the research is to document and analyse what professionals in the helping professions – Arabs and Jews alike – know and how they feel about AIDS. The study also explores thoughts and feelings concerning AIDS–related education and training. This is the first scholarly attempt to compare Israeli and Arab professionals' attitudes and knowledge about such a stigmatised topic as the AIDS epidemic. The study sample consists of 350 professionals, including 218 Jews and 132 Arabs, working in various social and health–care agencies providing services to the Arab population. Professionals include social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, and special education teachers and counsellors. Results indicate that Jewish professionals scored significantly higher on both knowledge and attitude scales than did their Arab counterparts. Two regression models predicting both knowledge and attitudes are presented, and their implications are discussed using several frameworks: the status of the disease, including perception of the threat; perception of adequacy of training; educational environment; and the socialisation process of Arab professionals in Israel     

The Use of the Group and Group Work Techniques in Resolving Interethnic Conflict

This article explores the area of interethnic conflict and, based on a case study involving a dialogue group of American Arabs and Jews, proposes a conflict resolution model that, combined with group process and group techniques, might be used to reduce tension and promote understanding among other ethnic groups in conflict. The model was successfully used in Los Angeles to engage the disputants in social action during a five year period and shows promise of being employed in a new form of "intergroup work."     

Hatred of "Others" Among Jewish, Arab, and Palestinian Students in Israel

This study analyzes hatred against diverse sociopolitical groups and compares the social and political attitudes of three distinct and highly differentiated groups: Jewish, Arab, and Palestinian high school students in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It examines their perceptions of the political context and aims to find the factors that influence the extremity of their hatred. Analysis of the data shows that the proposed model is more applicable to Jewish students than it is to Arabs and Palestinians, and shows that hatred toward outgroups is influenced by religiosity, the salience of national and civic identity, national security issues, and political ideology.     

The Jewish-Palestinian Encounter in a Time of Crisis

For over two decades the School for Peace at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam has been bringing together Jews and Arabs for dialogue workshops. This article examines the unique approach that the School for Peace has developed over the years in the light of existing theory in the field and of existing research in the field of social identity construction and majority-minority relations. The article then shows how processes that take place in our encounter workshops may even shed light on the Jewish-Palestinian conflict from 1948 until today. Understanding these processes is essential to any attempt at building a more humane society based on equality and justice between the two peoples.     

From Enlightened Self‐interest to Welfare Coalitions: Overcoming Identity‐based Tensions in the Israeli Welfare State

A common argument in the social policy literature is that ethnic and identity‐based heterogeneity undermines the welfare state. In part, this happens because of difficulties in the generation of broad social solidarity in diverse societies: solidarity which is allegedly necessary for sustaining public support for the welfare state. This study explores this argument's logic in the context of welfare state politics in Israel. Israel would appear to be a near‐perfect example of how heterogeneity strains social solidarity and, in turn, undermines the welfare state. Quite differently from most studies, however, this work's emphasis is not on public attitudes or voting, but on the political interaction between economically disadvantaged identity‐based minorities – specifically Arabs on the one hand and religious Jews on the other – in the welfare field. It is argued that shared interests enable extensive co‐operation among political elites in the welfare field despite religiously‐ and nationally‐based antagonism.     

Introduction to Improving Arab-Jewish Relations in Israel: Theory and Practice in Coexistence Educational Programs

Israeli Jewish and Arab experts within Israel have developed innovative intergroup relations programs, educational efforts designed to improve relations between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. Social scientists, educators, and practitioners on both sides of the Arab-Jewish conflict have dedicated themselves to lessening the hostility between these two groups within Israel through coexistence educational training. This issue presents theory, methods, and data from these coexistence educational programs. The introductory article presents a brief history of this conflict; the groups' differing perceptions regarding the dispute; some information about the role of culture, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity in the discord; and some of the social psychological processes that perpetuate and recreate the hostilities. Last, it provides a brief preface of this issue's articles.     

充分发挥社会科学在改革开放中的作用

中国社会科学的繁荣和发展,是与改革开放的命运紧紧联系在一起的。改革开放带来了中国社会科学的春天。30年来改革开放的每一个举措、进展和理论上的突破,都凝聚着社会科学工作者探索的心血。把改革开放30年的辉煌历史完整、准确地记载下来,是哲学社会科学工作者一个重要的职责。面向未来,社会科学要在进一步推进改革开放中发挥更大的作用。     

《穆斯林的葬礼》：回族心灵史与中国形象

《穆斯林的葬礼》展现了回族在伊斯兰文化、华夏文化和西方文化碰撞与融合过程中民族文化人格的演变。以梁亦清为代表的穆斯林传统文化人格,梁君璧、韩子奇为代表的文化混血人格,梁冰玉、韩新月为代表的现代文化人格等三种不同文化人格共同展现了回族的心灵史。《穆斯林的葬礼》以书写民族心灵史的方式构建了中国形象,展现了一个古老民族行走在从传统文明向现代文明转变道路上的艰辛及民族精神,是一部致力于挖掘回族文化心理的史诗性著作,为我们思考民族性与世界性的关系提供了新的角度。     

Self-perception of minority group adolescents: the experience of Arabs living in Israel

This article describes the self-perception of Arab adolescents living in Israel. The experience of Arab adolescents in Israel is that of a minority group which is currently undergoing cultural, social and political changes. The Arabs in Israel are a non-assimilating minority, a status that is not the result of their free choice, but of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The continuing state of conflict after this war between Israel and the Arab world has placed the Arabs in Israel in the permanent status of a hostile "minority", while the Jewish nationalist approach of the state of Israel has placed them outside the national consensus.
The sample consists of 692 twelfth-grade Arab adolescents from seven high schools located in Arab villages, Arab towns and mixed Jewish-Arab towns all over the country. Questionnaires were distributed among the students and were answered anonymously, each taking about 45 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is a version of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. It was translated from Hebrew into Arabic and modified to fit the unique situation of Arab adolescents in Israel. Demographic information included variables such as gender, religion and level of religiosity, number of years of parents education, and form of residence.
Findings show differences in various aspects of adolescents' self-perception according to gender, family level of religiosity and form of residence. The significance of the findings is discussed within two frameworks: environmental stability as related to self-concept, and the changes taking place in ethnic minority communities.     

关于重建中国政治学理论体系的思考

政治学理论体系的意义不在于系统介绍有关政治现象的各类知识 ,而在于通过探讨、论述政治学研究的目的、对象、方法及基本范畴 ,为研究现实政治提供正确的理论与方法。基于人类政治需要及政治规律的特殊性质 ,政治学的研究目的应是正确认识人民根本利益 ,即具有二重性的社会共同利益 ;政治学的研究对象应是涉及二重性社会共同利益的所有社会生活领域 ;政治学的研究方法 ,既需要自然科学的实证方法 ,也需要哲学的形而上思维 ;同时 ,政治学研究也相应需要新的概念工具 :政治需要、二重性社会共同利益、政治真理、政治规律等     

Education for Coexistence and Arab-Jewish Encounters in Israel: Potential and Challenges

The killing of thirteen Arabs by Israeli police forces in October 2000 points to the mounting tension and hostility between Arabs and Jews in Israel. Encounter and coexistence programs constitute one of the few channels for the development of communication, trust, and genuine understanding of the complex Arab-Jewish reality in Israel. Thus, it is essential that these encounters be examined and professionally developed to respond to the needs of the two communities. This article examines certain shortcomings of these encounter programs and provides suggestions to improve their efficacy. The conclusions are based on an earlier empirical study conducted between 1992 and 1998, which investigated six encounter programs, and on a series of interviews with Arab-Jewish facilitators conducted in 2001.     

在北京抗“非典”工作中充分发挥哲学社会科学的作用——以北京市社会科学院的工作为例

哲学社会科学在帮助人们解决世界观、人生观、价值观 ,解决理论认识和科学思维 ,解决对社会发展、社会管理规律的认识和运用等方面具有重要作用。本文结合北京市社会科学院在北京抗“非典”实践中所做的工作 ,说明哲学社会科学在社会发展中的重要作用。     

Job satisfaction and retention of social workers in public agencies, non-profit agencies, and private practice: the impact of workplace conditions and motivators

The authors examine a selected array of agency-influenced work and employment conditions and assess their impact upon social workers' job satisfaction, motivation, and intention to seek new employment. The study makes correlations with past empirical studies on job satisfaction and retention, with staff development concerns as stated in social work administration textbooks, and with conditions subject to administrators' influence. Some specified motivational issues included are salary, fringe benefits, job security, physical surroundings, and safety. The analysis demonstrates the contribution of certain contextual and motivational factors to a prediction of job satisfaction or of intent to leave the organization.     

多学科视角下的社会抗争研究

当前,中国社会抗争的性质、动因和治理问题形成了各具特色又相互关联的研究理路：社会抗争的社会学研究更多地从社会（结构）出发,研究社会结构、社会分层等因素对社会抗争的结构性影响;社会抗争的法学研究更多地从公民（主体）出发,研究公民权利维护和救济以及国家对社会抗争的法治;社会抗争的政治学研究侧重从国家和政府（制度）出发,以抗争政治学为理论范式,关注社会抗争的性质和治理。本文分析了社会抗争研究的三种理论路径,希望社会抗争治理研究上能形成合力。     

Traditional Support Systems: Are They Sufficient in a Culturally Diverse Academic Environment?

Correspondence to Dr Adital Ben-Ari School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel 31905. Summary The present study explores the relationship between perceivedsocial support and well-being among students of the three mainpopulations living in Israel: Israeli-born Jews, Israeli-bornArabs and Russian immigrants. More specifically, it comparesthe well-being of these three groups and examines to what extentperceived social support actually contributes to their well-being.The sample comprised 278 undergradute students in the schoolsof social work and nursing at one of the major universitiesin Israel. Three instruments were used. Well-being was measuredby both the Brief Symptoms Inventory Scale (Derogatis, 1979)and the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck and Steer, 1987). Perceivedsocial support was assessed by the Multidimensional Scale ofPerceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988). The findingsshow that the Arab students are significantly more distressedthan their Jewish and Russian counterparts on all measures ofwell-being. At the same time, their perceived social supportis significantly higher than that of the Jewish students (bothIsraeli-born Jews and Russian immigrants). Stepwise linear regressionanalysis revealed that while perceived social support was amajor contributor to the explanation of well-being among theIsraeli students, it did not surface as a significant explanatorypredictor of well-being among either Arabs or Russian immigrants.The significance of the findings is discussed within the theoreticalframeworks of stress and social support theories as well asmodernization and immigration processes.     

人学与当代中国社会发展

人学是我国现代化建设和社会发展的必然产物和内在要求,是解决当代中国社会发展中许多重大问题的理论前提.人的塑造与人格转型,对人的理解,人的素质,人的能力评价,人性,人的能力与个性,人的发展与代价,人的存在方式、需要、利益与价值,日常社会生活中的核心文化理念等问题的解决,都需要人学以提供理论基础和前瞻性的指导.所以,人学在我国当代社会发展中有着重大的意义.