ERIC Number: EJ1189391
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Sep
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1938-8926
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Intersecting Alliances: Non-Palestinian Activists in Support of Palestine
Hill, Sophia; Ben Hagai, Ella; Zurbriggen, Eileen L.
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, v11 n3 p239-253 Sep 2018
Influenced by social identity theory, psychologists have focused primarily on the role of shared identity in leading people to engage in collective action. In this study, we are concerned with the factors that lead individuals who do not share a collective identity to act in solidarity with an outgroup. We explored this question by looking at the narratives and motives that brought non-Palestinian university students to participate in collective action for Palestine. In-depth interviews with campus activists and a yearlong observation of campus debates over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict suggested a number of motives for solidarity activism. First, activists drew parallels between their in-group collective narrative and the collective narrative of the Palestinians. Second, an intersectional narrative of identity increased activist self-efficacy by highlighting the ways that activists were both marginalized and privileged. Third, activists explained their affinity to these narratives as rooted in personal experiences with marginalization and discrimination. A final motive arose through the practice of coalition building that further empowered students of different minority groups. Findings from this study contribute to an understanding of the current surge in Palestinian solidarity activism on college campuses in the United States.
Descriptors: Activism, Conflict, War, Social Action, College Students, Political Attitudes, Self Efficacy, Social Bias, Student Motivation, Student Empowerment, Self Concept, Predictor Variables, Identification (Psychology), Minority Group Students, Arabs, Hispanic American Students, African American Students, Advantaged, Disadvantaged, Social Justice
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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