Grandparenting across borders: American grandparents and their Israeli grandchildren in a transnational reality

Families are increasingly dispersed across national borders. Americans in Israel are one migrant group that represents the worldwide phenomenon of transnationalism. Grandparents separated geographically from their grandchildren develop new means of communication with them and new kinds of relationships. This study uses ethnographic interviews with the grandparents of transnational, American-Israeli children and youth to offer an in-depth examination of the experience of grandparenting across borders. We find that grandparenting children who are both geographically distant and raised in a foreign culture necessitates the development of new ways of maintaining relationships with grandchildren. This study considers the impact of transnational migration on the extended family, on those left behind, who struggle with redefining their roles as grandparents and with the sense of being deprived of the roles they had expected to play.     

Translating privacy: developer cultures in the global world of practice

ABSTRACT

This paper makes the case for considering the role of cross-cultural encounters in shaping developers’ notions of information privacy. Recent studies on privacy by design shed light on developer practices yet tend to regard these workers as a generic category. The paper draws on two interviews with workers in a late-stage Israeli startup as a step toward localizing developers and the global products they design. The analysis identifies four narratives that juxtapose the local, the global and the commodification of users’ personal information: (1) the origin myth of the company; (2) workers’ personal and professional biographies; (3) reports on external regulations; and (4) accounts of work practices, rituals and communication formats. The analysis suggests how the globalization of the startup was implicated in changing ideas and practices relating to users’ information. The paper concludes by discussing some of the challenges facing a culturally-sensitive study of developers as mediators of privacy.     

Migration,Motherhood, Marriage: Cross‐Cultural Adaptation of North American Immigrant Mothers in Israel

This study probes the cross‐cultural adaptation patterns of North American women who immigrated to Israel with their Israeli‐born husbands (or married there) and are mothers in their new country. In order to undertake a cultural analysis of the interplay between immigration, motherhood and bicultural marriage, we examine: the effects of motherhood and North American culture of origin on cross‐cultural adaptation; the effects of immigration to Israel on motherhood and childrearing; the influence of family of origin on the immigrant motherhood experience; and the role of Israeli husbands and their families in the women’s cross‐cultural adaptation process. We study patterns for the entire group as well as bringing out individual differences. Our main finding is that motherhood serves as the principal social link to the Israeli host society. The high status of North American culture and English proficiency facilitate cross‐cultural adaptation in Israel. Our findings reveal transnationalist tendencies co‐existing with various adaptation strategies. We propose an expansion of previous acculturation models to accommodate this dual modus vivendi.     

Resolution of Disagreements Between Romantic Partners,Among Adolescents,and Young Adults: Qualitative Analysis of Interaction Discourses

The study was designed to explore qualitatively developmental differences in disagreement negotiation and resolution skills between adolescent and young adult romantic partners. Twenty adolescent and 20 young adult couples participated in the study. The Knox inventory was used to measure the level of disagreement between partners on ten domains (e.g., friends or money). Partners were asked to discuss and resolve their greatest disagreement. Joint discussions were recorded and transcribed. A qualitative analysis of interactions revealed major differences between the two age groups, in discussion management and in strategies for resolution. Adolescents' interactions were concrete, concise, and brief. Their resolution of disagreements was based on superficial agreements or coercion of one partner. Young adults' interactions were more rich and developed, disagreements were understood as metaphors for the relationship, and resolution was accomplished by the two partners as a result of discussion. These differences are discussed in light of the theories on the development of romantic relationships.     

The Internalization of the “Father” Object Among Young Men and Its Relation to Separation–Individuation Patterns, Anxiety and Depression

While the father’s influence on his offspring’s personalities and well-being has historically been neglected, literature on this topic has recently been accumulating. The father’s influence is touches upon numerous practical and ethical implications for social work, psychotherapy, and psychodiagnosis. The present study draws from Mahler’s (Mahler, Separation individuation. The selected papers of Margaret S. Mahler, 1963, 1967, 1974; Mahler et al., The psychological birth of the human infant. Symbiosis and individuation, 1975) theory of the psychological birth of the child and offers a novel focus on the pivotal internal representation of the father. According to this theory, hindered developmental processes lead to depression and anxiety. 130 students took part in the current study, in which the internal father object was examined with regard to separation–individuation processes, and the levels of anxiety and depression were recorded. The study’s results show a significant negative relation between the quality of the paternal object and levels of anxiety and depression. A theoretical model was constructed to illustrate the similarities and discrepancies in the development of depression and anxiety in light of the father object as mediated by the separation–individuation processes that were examined.     

Outcome evaluation of an advocacy program to promote early childhood education for Israeli Arabs.

This article reports the results of an evaluation of the SHATIL early childhood education (ECE) project, a coalition-based advocacy initiative that aimed to achieve three main outcomes in Arab towns throughout Israel: growth in preschool enrollment rates, growth in number of preschool classes administered by local councils, and growth in number of certified preschool teachers working in the Arab sector. The study employed a quasi-experimental, repeated measures design. Outcomes were assessed via collection of archival data pertaining to each of the past 10 years in 45 Arab towns. This allowed for comparison of trends over time in the 5 years before project commencement with those in the 5 years since the project was launched. Findings indicated that the project was successful in recruiting its target population (the most needy towns) and that the desired changes in fact did occur, particularly in the target towns. Moreover, the authors were able to conclude, with a relatively high degree of confidence, that the project played a causal role in achieving these outcomes.