Could a book on ‘the political socialization of Israeli and Palestinian youngsters’ have any relevance for European citizenship educators? Absolutely. Orit Ichilov proved it in 2004 with the publication of Political Learning and Citizenship Education under Conflict. Despite the many obvious differences between Europe and Israel, there is much to be learned from a region that is in many respects much more explosive than our own.
The lack of a common social and political identity can be a great impediment to the promotion of citizenship. Israel is a case in point. ‘A major characteristic of Israeli society today,’ Ichilov writes, ‘is the wide and deep rifts between Israeli Arabs and Jews, between the political left and the political right and between the rich and the poor. These rifts seem to have radicalized Israeli society, and it is more difficult than ever to arrive at a broad consensus on political and territorial issues, social issues, and issues related to state and religion’ (p. 94). External threats are often perceived as bonding forces that may create unity. Thus, some claim that the conflicts between the religious and the non-religious and between the rich and the poor in Israel would reach boiling point almost immediately if the common Palestinian enemy were to vanish in thin air suddenly. The developments in the United States following September 11 confirm Ochilov in her conviction, however, ‘that threats and armed conflicts are often divisive and cannot replace citizenship as a bonding force’ (p. 155).
Europe faces similar challenges. The raison d’être of the European Union is equally contested as Israel’s right to exist, although the eurosceptics hold a position quite different from the Palestinians obviously. Since September 11, great tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims have become manifest in Europe too. And postmodernism and globalisation have made it less obvious for people in both regions to identify with their local or national community, creating the need for a revised concept of citizenship to ‘embrace both the globalization of social relations and the increased social differentiation of social systems’ (p. 156).
All through the book, Ichilov keeps stressing the importance of the social environment for the pre-adult development of social and political attitudes. She gives many examples from Israeli society that confirm that the ‘hegemonic nature of the socializing environments and contexts in situations of conflict is striking’ and that these contexts ‘offer ample opportunities to observe and practice acts of violence, ideological justifications for legitimizing violent behavior, as well as incentives, rewards, and role models to emulate’ (p. 156). Compensating for society’s bad example often seems close to impossible.
Educationalists have a natural tendency to seek the solution to such problems in education and Ochilov is no exception to this rule. She will be the first to admit however that the results of educational attempts at promoting citizenship are not always equally impressive. Thus, ‘the overall effect of civic courses seems to be restricted and mixed’ (p. 160). In contrast, an ‘open classroom climate, measured by students’ feeling that they can freely participate and express themselves in a supportive environment, seems to have a greater effect than formal instruction’ (p. 161). One might conclude that civics might as well be dropped from the curriculum and that we would do better to concentrate exclusively on the school climate. Ichilov prefers to believe that civics would be far more effective if it had a less marginal status and were taught consecutively throughout all school grades. Whether she is right or wrong in this respect, her book offers many stimulating insights. There is much to be learned for Europeans with an interest in citizenship education from the experiences in Israel.
Krijn Peter Hesselink, Instituut voor Publiek en Politiek, Amsterdam
Orit Ichilov, Political Learning and Citizenship Education under Conflict; the political socialization of Israeli and Palestinian youngsters (Oxon/New York: Routledge, 2004)