Education and ethnicity: personal-professional identity of Mizrahi teachers

Abstract

Israel is an ethnically diverse country. This diversity is expressed among teachers and students and impacts learning, socialization, and education processes. Ethnic diversity frequently translates into a hierarchy in whose framework a certain cultural background is preferred over another. Those at the bottom of the ranking may experience silencing and erasure of parts of their identity. This situation has negative implications for self-esteem, the quality of social relations, and for social mobility. Despite there being relatively extensive writing about ethnicity and Mizrahi identity, educational research on these topics is meager. Moreover, most of the relevant literature addresses the experience of students whereas the experience of teachers is barely examined. This article focuses on the ethnic identity of teachers and examines it from psychological and educational perspectives. It is based on a qualitative study in which 23 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Through analysis of the responses we will seek to become more closely acquainted with the experiences of teachers with respect to the ethnic facet of their identity and to delve deeper into subjective perceptions related to ethnic identity, including their implicit and intimate aspects. Three main insights emerge which can promote sensitively cultural and socially responsible educational practice.