Amanda Kruzel: Blog #3

          Our trip to Tel Aviv on July 17^th was definitely one of my very favorite days during this Study Abroad program so far. One of the most fascinating things was being able to hear Professor Gadi Taub talk about Israel as a democracy. I really loved when he spoke about the national narratives that are proliferated, especially through means of public education. I also really enjoyed hearing him talk about the American system versus the Israeli system. Indeed, the U.S. government is highly involved in encouraging a specific history that emphasizes certain events, and ignores or de-emphasizes others.

I think talking about education, socialization, and nationalist narratives is extraordinarily useful in these conflicts. In my highly biased personal opinion, I follow the line of thinking that no real diplomatic peace can ever truly solve a deeply seated conflict. Of course, a solution made by statesmen and ambassadors is highly needed in this situation. But I also believe that this decision will be rendered useless unless it is equally matched by grassroots movements in peacemaking on the ground. (As you can imagine, the mission of the Peres Center for Peace highly appealed to me.)

Essentially, reconciliation between people “on the ground” is highly important to me. However, it seems to me that education itself can sometimes be an obstacle to peacemaking at the grassroots level; at times, it can propagate certain nationalist narratives, and therefore, distaste for, or hatred of “the other.” Indeed, education at an early age can be highly effective in educating a child in biased or partial histories. One body of scholarship I would like to become more acquainted with in the future is the area that looks at education tactics in both Israel and the Palestinian territories. Specifically, I am interested in curriculum development, teacher training efforts, and the affects these have upon childhood ideological developments. I would also be very interested to know how private schools differ from public schools in regards to differences in curriculum and results.