ח’יר‭-‬עבאס‭,‬‭ ‬רנדה

Running Between the Raindrops – Research, Culture, and my Life in Two Worlds.

This chapter is embedded in a book that deals with Conducting Qualitative Research in Multicultural Settings. In it, I describe my own challenges in conducting research in multicultural settings. The chapter is infused with the idea of researcher reflectivity in order to see beyond my personal cultural worldview. Examples of research studies are provided, and the chapter concludes with questions and exercises for critical thought.

Published

Abbas, R. (2017). Running between the raindrops – Research, culture, and my life in two worlds. In D. Court, Qualitative research and intercultural understanding Conducting qualitative research in multicultural settings (93-97). London and New York Routledge.

What Do They Want From My Life? The Perception of parent-child Relationships among Druze adolescents in Israel

This research examined Druze adolescents’ perception of their relationships with parents in Israel. Israeli Druze is a small group accounting for only 2% of Israel’s population. The Druze society is patriarchal; it demands absolute loyalty to the values of religion, family, and clan. Our goal was to explore the impact of increasing intercultural contact with modern Israeli society and the outside world on parent-child relationships in a traditional society that demands absolute loyalty and obedience to elders. The researchers used the phenomenological approach to understand parent-child relationships from the perspective of the adolescents themselves. Twelve Druze adolescents, six females and six males ranging in age from 16 to 18, completed a semi-structured interview in which they were asked to describe their relationships with parents. Participants were prompted to describe a recent conflict, if any, and the way in which the conflict was resolved, as well as a positive and a negative interaction with parents in the past year. Thematic analyses revealed intergenerational conflict related to perceived acculturation gaps. Other consistent themes portrayed supportive parent-child relationships and the adolescents’ commitment to Druze heritage. Overall, findings suggest that although increasing exposure to modern society may lead to intergenerational conflict, Druze adolescents remained grounded in supportive family relationships and their religious heritage.

Published

Abbas, R., Pataki, S. P., Vaknin-Nusbaum, V., & Ilaiyan, S. (2018). What do they want from my life? The perception of parent-child relationships among Druze adolescents in Israel. Journal of Adolescent Research, 34(3), 261-281. DOI https//doi.org/10.1177%2F0743558418764088

Inside Out or Outside In? On Criteria for Selecting Teachers of Religion, and the Case of the Druze

This essay explores the issue of dress of teachers of Druze heritage. The Druze, among whom the rules of religious dress are rather specific, do not teach religion in schools, since the Druze religion is secret. The teacher acts as a gatekeeper and model. At the same time, Druze young people are becoming increasingly secular and may relate better to teachers who appear to be part of the modern world. This discussion examines the role of dress in teacher modeling, and the part Druze teachers may have to play in sustaining a small religion in rapidly changing times.

Published

Abbas, R., & Court, D. (2020). Inside out or outside in? On criteria for selecting teachers of religion, and the case of the Druze. Religious Education, 115(2), 119-128.
DOI https//doi.org/10.1080/00344087.2019.1639877

The Israeli Druze Community in Transition: Between Tradition and Modernity

While there are books that describe the history and traditions of the Druze as an ethnic and religious group, this is the first and only academic book of its kind. It gives voice to the Israeli Druze, through in-depth interviews with 120 people, 60 young adults and 60 of their parents’ generation. How is this traditional group, bound together through the centuries by their secret religion and strong value system, dealing with modernization? What contradictions and continuity come to light in the stories of this people during a time of transition? Can their religion, and their very identity, survive the meeting with the modern, technological world? What resources do the young and the not-so-young bring to the task of preserving their community and helping it to flourish as the world changes around them?
The people in this text answer these questions through the telling of their stories, in which they express their values, opinions, beliefs and aspirations. The book draws out theoretical, practical, religious and sociological implications from this analysis, in order to shed light on the challenges faced by other traditional societies meeting modernity.

Published

Khair Abbas, R., & Court, D. (2021). The Israeli Druze Community in Transition: Between Tradition and Modernity. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Why Don’t Druze Families Homeschool?

In recent decades there has been a considerable increase in the scope of homeschooling in many Western countries. However, it has not been consistent among all sectors of society, but rather concentrated in certain groups. It is a growing trend among Jewish Israeli society, but has not taken hold among Israeli Druze. This article examines the reasons that Druze society in Israel has not been part of the considerable increase in the practice of teaching children at home. Several theoretical perspectives for understanding these differences are suggested and investigated, focusing on the unique characteristics of Druze society in Israel and of the secret Druze religion, as well as on feminist perspectives and the developments in Druze women’s status in recent decades.

Published

Khair-Abbas, R., Gutermen, O., & Neumann, A. (2021). Why don’t druze families homeschool? Religion and Spirituality in Society, 11(2), 191-200.
DOI https//doi.org/10.18848/2154-8633/CGP/v11i02/191-200.