How do school-based ceremonies contribute to adolescents’ identity design? A case study in two Druze high schools

Abstract

This article discusses the contribution of school-based ceremonies in two Israeli Druze schools to shaping identity and deepening the sense of citizenship among Druze students. The Druze have a unique position in Israel as opposed to other Arabic-speaking Israelis, serving in the army and generally maintaining high levels of patriotism. State ceremonies, especially the memorial ceremonies of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), have gradually come to occupy a central place in the Israeli education system since 1948. The memorial ceremonies combine the cognitive and emotional dimensions. The historical information conveyed through them is combined with feelings of bereavement and loss and with stories of heroism and sacrifice. The study found that great emphasis is placed on these activities in the two Druze schools studied and that they strengthen the students’ Druze Israeli identity and sense of civic pride and responsibility, together with their unique Druze identity.