Minority Education in Sharonia, Israel, and Stockton, California: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

In this paper, ethnographic data from Stockton, California and Sharonia, Israel are brought to bear on the question, In what way do dominant-minority group relations affect the educational careers of poor black American and Oriental Jewish youth? Organizing the data in reference to two key concepts, power relationships and symbolic formations, it is shown that Stockton and Sharonia exhibit congruent structures of social inequality. This impinges on the organization of educational environments in each society. In both settings, minority youth must compete for educational credentials in social situations in which power relationships and symbolic formations are heavily weighted against their interests. Nevertheless, in confronting similar social situations, black American and Oriental Jewish youth have adopted divergent strategies of behavior. It is argued that alternative responses to similar educational situations can best be explained in reference to the world view and corresponding strategy for social advancement of black Americans and Oriental Jews. MINORITY EDUCATION; SOCIAL INEQUALITY; ISRAEL; BLACK AMERICANS; ORIENTAL JEWS; ETHNOGRAPHY.