What is it about?
The paper examines the current changes to the civics curriculum in Israel as they are reflected in the new version of the official textbook. The paper in particularly focuses on the representations of the largest minority group in Israel - Palestinian citizens.
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Why is it important?
The revised version of the official civics textbook in Israel was in recent years at the heard of a heated political debate. We can learn a great deal on socio-political changes from the ways in which the official knowledge, in the form of a textbook, is being constructed. Moreover, looking at how a minority group is represented can reveal changes into the definition of citizenship and in particular how democratic citizenship and the tension between democracy and national identity is constructed.
Perspectives
I have been following the changes to the Israeli official civics curriculum in the past 20 years. In recent years, Israel has taken a sharp turn to the right, with populist religious right being on the rise. Examining the changes to the civics curriculum allowed me to explore those changes and shade light on some of their ramifications. On a personal note, this makes me deeply worried and alarmed about where Israel is going.
Halleli Pinson
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The new civics curriculum for high schools in Israel: The discursive construction of Palestinian identity and narratives, Education Citizenship and Social Justice, April 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1746197919840811.
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