Immigration and Ethnic Formation in a Deeply Divided Society

Majid Al-Haj, Ph.D. (1984) in Sociology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is Professor of Sociology and the Head of the Center for Multiculturalism at the University of Haifa. He has published extensively on demography, ethnicity and education including Education, Empowerment and Control: The Case of the Arabs in Israel (SUNY, 1995).

• Introduction. Immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in IsraelMethodologyImmigrants’ SurveySurvey of the General PopulationStudents’ SurveyFocus GroupsChapter 1. Theoretical FrameworkDefinitions of “Ethnic Group”Immigration and Ethnic FormationEthnic MobilizationThe Reactive PerspectiveThe Competitive Model of Ethnic MobilizationCriticism of the Reactive and Competitive ApproachesRational Choice Theory The Role of the StateChapter 2. Israeli Society: A BackgroundImmigration and the Construction of Social BoundariesUnique vs. Typical ImmigrationAn Ideological Value or a Means to Achieve Political GoalsImmigration and Ethnic Formation in IsraelBackground of Jewish EthnicityEthnic Composition over TimeEthnicity as a Socio-Cultural RiftThe Modernization-Establishment ApproachThe Melting Pot IdeologyCounter-approaches to Ethnic RelationsEthnic mobilizationEthnicity and the Religious-Nonreligious DivideThe Jewish-Arab DivideBackgroundPolicy toward the Palestinians in IsraelSocial ChangeEconomic DeterritorializationPolitical TerritorializationMulticulturalism vs. Tribalism in Israeli SocietyChapter 3. The Jews of Russia and the Former Soviet Union: Background andWaves of ImmigrationEmigration by Russian/Soviet/FSU JewsThe First Waves to PalestineImmigrants from the Soviet Union in the 1970sEthiopia: A New Reservoir of ImmigrantsAspirations for Aliya from the WestThe 1990s WaveMain TrendsDifferences between the 1970s and the 1990s WavesChapter 4. Identity Patterns and Ethnic FormationCommunal Ethnic OrganizationsSources of Information, Russian-Language MediaMotivation for Migration and Connection with the Home CountrySelf-IdentificationNon-Jewish immigrantsThe Other – Definition: How Veteran Israelis Perceive the ImmigrantsChapter 5. Attitudes toward Civil Society and Freedom of ExpressionCharacter of IsraelAttitudes toward PeaceFreedom of ExpressionCommunication EnvironmentsPermissivenessThe Ranking of RightsChapter 6. Political OrganizationVoting Patterns in the Knesset ElectionsCollective vs. Individual Factors behind the Voting PatternsFactors behind the Voting for Prime MinisterThe Elections of 2003Local ElectionsChapter 7. Immigrants versus Israeli SocietyAdjustment PatternsResidential AdjustmentEconomic AdjustmentSocial AdjustmentMutual InfluenceImmigrants’ Social Distance from Other Groups in IsraelSocial Distance from ArabsSocial Distance from other Jewish GroupsChapter 8. Attitudes of Veteran Groups toward ImmigrantsAttitudes in the Early 1990sJewish LeadershipJewish PublicThe Arab LeadershipArab PublicTrends over Time: A Decade laterInternal Divisions within Jewish PopulationsTolerance of Separate Immigrant OrganizationsSocial Distance The Attitudes of the Younger GenerationSocial Distance as Felt by the Younger Generation Concluding RemarksReferencesList of tablesList of Figures