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Understanding the Interface of Diversity and Political Tensions in the Context of Divided Societies: A Multifocal Perspective of Social Psychology and Critical Theory

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Diversity Management in Places and Times of Tensions

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Abstract

This chapter juxtaposes and interfaces social psychological conceptual frameworks and critical sociological theories. The essentialist school of thought focuses on universal individual- and group-level limitations in processing the social world. By contrast, the critical theory underscores the construction of intergroup power relations, controlled through discourse by dominant social actors. These social construction processes privilege the dominant social forces, while marginalising other social players. Unlike the essentialist tradition, the critical approach emphasises the influence of the specific context of everyday practice on the development of social relations. This chapter opens a dialogue between the two perspectives in an attempt to enlist their joint potential for illuminating diversity management in places and times of tensions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The terms ‘Arabs’, ‘Israeli Palestinians’, and ‘Arabs/Palestinians’ will be used interchangeably throughout the book to designate the Arab population (including Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouins) living in Israel, who stayed within the borders of the State after its establishment in 1948 and/or were born in the State of Israel and hold Israeli citizenship. Such variant use of the terms is due to the paucity of a neutral term for this ethno-national group, recognising its own diverse preferences and the shifting and contextual character of identity.

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  1. The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Yezreel Valley, Israel

    Helena Desivilya Syna

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Syna, H.D. (2020). Understanding the Interface of Diversity and Political Tensions in the Context of Divided Societies: A Multifocal Perspective of Social Psychology and Critical Theory. In: Diversity Management in Places and Times of Tensions. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37723-6_3

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