Recent research by Daniel Bar-Tal and Yona Teichman deals with the
"knowledge" of Israeli Jews about Arabs, how it is reflected in
public discourse, in media, culture and art, literature, films and
in school textbooks. They explore how these beliefs develop and the
root causes in the process.
The results of studies done at different times with different
respondents present, unsurprisingly, a coherent and consistent
picture: Arabs are stereotyped negatively, the attitudes and
emotions towards them are negative, and negative intentions are
attributed to them. Main themes pertain to perceived low
intelligence, primitivism, dishonesty, fanaticism, conservativism,
violence and lack of value for human life. On the other hand,
positive attributes are also mentioned, like hospitality,
sociability and diligence (p. 228).
Professor Teichman, a clinical psychologist at Tel Aviv University,
has devised a method of tracing the development of stereotypes on
the basis of children's drawings. In a decade-long research project
conducted through the 1990s, she studied the perception of Arabs
among Jewish-Israeli kindergarten children, and how that perception
changed over the years until the subjects reached adolescence.
Moustaches, guns, dark skins and menacing looks featured highly in
those drawings. Her findings are similar to studies in the United
States on prejudice toward blacks. The stereotypes are the most
vivid among preschool children. Even before they know what an Arab
(or a black) is, they have absorbed negative cultural vibes,
regardless of family background or socio-economic status. So much
so that even the sound of the word "Arab," compared to "Frenchman,"
for example, evokes a powerful negative reaction.
Children hear and absorb these attitudes at a very young age. As
they develop cognitively, they have access to a broader range of
information and their views grow more complex. Cracks begin to
appear in the stereotype and as the child grows older, the picture
becomes less one-sided. That is the good news. The bad news is that
it is very difficult, if not impossible, to erase these first
impressions altogether. The studies show that even liberal adults
with moderate political views retain the negative stereotype in the
back of their minds, even if they do not admit to it.
Of the subjects from all age groups, 55 percent said their ideas
about Arabs came from television; 25 percent cited parental
influence. Only 10 percent said that school was their source of
information.
Professor Bar-Tal, of Tel Aviv University's school of education
(and previously co-editor of PIJ), is a social psychologist who has
written intensively about the psychological processes undergone by
individuals and groups who live in a state of unresolved conflict.
He has identified and analyzed several "functional societal
beliefs" developed by Israeli society that enable it to cope
successfully with the trying circumstances in this country. These
beliefs have been preserved and cultivated over the years through
the media, the rhetoric of Israel's leaders, culture, education,
the army, and more. The core beliefs are:
* security as a supreme value
* patriotism
* national unity
* visions of peace (a goal that engenders optimism and gives
purpose to the struggle, without going into detail about how to
achieve it)
* the perception of Israel's victimization
* a positive self-image (self-justification and belief that
Israel's conduct is moral and humane)
* and delegitimization of the other side
The current study dwells on this last point, examining it from
every possible angle and placing it in a broad socio-historical
context. How are the Arabs portrayed in public discourse,
textbooks, children's literature and literature in general? How do
culture and art reinforce these images? How does it all filter down
to create a shared socio-psychological "repertoire" based on fear
("the Arabs are out to destroy Israel and kill all the Jews");
generalizations ("all Arabs are the same"); stereotypes,
dehumanization and idioms with negative connotations ("avoda
aravit," literally "Arab labor" - Hebrew slang for "lousy job";
"ta'am aravi," literally "Arab taste" - meaning "tacky" or "in poor
taste")?
The authors tell us the obvious: the way the other side is
perceived must change if the aim is to promote peace and safeguard
it once it has been achieved. Although the attitude of Israelis
toward Arabs has changed over the past two decades, the findings
indicate that deep-seated prejudice and dehumanization are still
very much alive.
The book does not stop at reporting these worrying trends; it also
asks what can be done to
change them. In the final chapter, the authors propose guidelines
and intervention strategies, but also point out another finding
that hardly comes as a surprise: context matters. Current events
and political developments have a direct bearing on changes of
attitude and modification of the collective psychological
repertoire. A clear example is the visit to Israel of Egyptian
president Anwar Sadat in 1977, followed by the signing of a peace
treaty. When this happened, "Egypt" became separate from "the
Arabs," which required an adjustment of the stereotype. The same
was true after the Oslo Accords and the peace treaty with Jordan -
not only in the minds of adults, but among children, too.
But of course this is not enough. We cannot sit around and rely on
politicians. The media must become involved, along with other
agents of culture, parents and schools. On a cognitive level,
Bar-Tal and Teichman believe that hope can be instilled by
promoting acceptance of "the other," by humanizing him, recognizing
his rights, viewing him as an equal partner. At the same time, the
existing narratives must be reexamined with respect to the origins
of the conflict and past relations, with an eye to creating a new
"collective memory." The injustices of the past must somehow be
forgiven, while embarking on a process of reconciliation. The way
we perceive the past is no less important than how we perceive the
present and the future. In terms of the future, we need to use our
imaginations and envision the kind of difference it could make to
live without fear and discord.
The leaders have an important job to do: they must serve as guides
and role models. Other agents of change are local and community
leaders, religious leaders, intellectual and business elites and
educators. It's a two-way process, say the authors, moving from
top-down and vice versa. On the other hand, people cannot be
forcibly "reeducated," as in totalitarian countries. In a
democratic society, persuasion is the method of choice.
Bar-Tal and Teichman briefly survey methods for introducing change.
Most have already been tried, though not always successfully, and
are still being used: encounters, joint projects, cultural
exchange, tourism, writing a joint history. Again, to put these
strategies into practice, they recommend mobilizing the educational
system, the media and non-governmental organizations.
From my many years of experience in social organizations involved
in "peace education," I agree that this sort of work may have an
impact on public opinion. It can be instrumental in convincing
various sectors of society that the conflict is not eternal and
that there are ways of reaching an agreement with the other side.
Nevertheless, even the combined efforts of dozens of such
organizations have managed to reach only a small percentage of the
population. Without full-fledged cooperation from the media, the
ministry of education and other agencies that govern the workings
of society, there is little hope for genuine change.
I also believe that we should not only be focusing our attention on
children. The target population in educating toward peace and
reconciliation is first and foremost the adult population - those
who have absorbed the stereotypes and negative attitudes toward
Arabs from childhood, and experienced the horrors of wars, terror
and bereavement in the flesh. It is adults who are mature enough to
adopt a multifaceted perspective of the conflict and to see that
not only one party is to blame. They are the ones who can, and
must, look bravely in the mirror and want to change. They are the
ones who can make things happen - and the children are sure to
follow.