Issues of integration, language and identity among Palestinian students at an Israeli “Hebrew-speaking” University

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of Palestinian students at one of the largest universities in Israel, where most of the faculty members and students are Jewish and the language of study is Hebrew. A thematic content analysis of 15 in-depth interviews was conducted with Palestinian students who are citizens of Israel or permanent residents living in East Jerusalem. It revealed the challenges at a Jewish-dominated university on both an academic and a social level. Participants reported that increased exposure to their Jewish counterparts and acquiring greater proficiency in Hebrew facilitated improved intergroup contact with Jewish students. In contrast, the constraints of asymmetry, political tension, and a lack of Hebrew proficiency acted as barriers and were described as major causes of division between Palestinian and Jewish students. Furthermore, constant exposure to Jewish majority culture and the Hebrew language is found to be linked to a strong sense of Palestinian group identity. These findings expand our understanding of the interrelations between language, power and identity in asymmetric intergroup relationships.