Young Children in Intractable Conflicts: The Israeli Case

Meytal Nasie, Aurel Harrison Diamond, Daniel Bar-Tal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The article examines the political socialization of young Jewish-Israeli children who live under the Israeli–Palestinian intractable conflict. It proposes arguments and presents empirical evidence to suggest that the way in which political socialization of young children happens in this context contributes to the development of conflict-supporting narratives of ethos of conflict and collective memory by the youngest generation. As a result, the conflict solidifies adherence to these narratives in adulthood, thereby serving as a major obstacle to the processes of peace-making and peace-building. Specifically, as evidence for showing how the political socialization works in Israel, a series of studies conducted in Israeli kindergartens and elementary schools are presented. These studies recount the contents acquired by young children, as well as contents delivered by teachers, related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This indicates the serious consequences of acquiring conflict-supporting narratives at an early age in societies involved in intractable conflict.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)365-392
Number of pages28
JournalPersonality and Social Psychology Review
Volume20
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Nov 2016

Keywords

  • Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  • ethos of conflict
  • intractable conflict
  • political socialization
  • young children

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Social Psychology

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