The Israel/Palestine conflict viewed from an educational perspective : an investigation of the historical narratives of the of "the other"

Abstract

Abstract:

This study explores the historical narratives presented about “the other” through education. It also explores how children perceive these narratives today. The historical narratives are reviewed trough literature about education and textbooks. How children perceive these narratives today are investigated based on interviews conducted during my fieldwork in Israel and Ramallah, November 2007. 15 interviews were conducted in four different schools during my fieldwork. Because of this, a qualitative research design was used for this study. I present and analyze findings from my interviews with reference to the literature surrounding the concepts of identity, culture and attribution theory. The findings in this study suggest that historical narratives of “the other” are not being learned in formal education today. The narratives are learned from other areas of socialisation. The findings also indicate that education, related to narratives and the perception of “the other” is of minor importance since education is interlinked with the society as a hole. The perceptions of “the other” cannot change in education if the society as a hole is not willing to change their cultural narratives.