“In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel
This article explores how non-citizen minorities experience military service, focusing on children of international labor migrants who served in the Israel Defense Forces. During the 1990’s, Israel witnessed an influx of migrant workers, primarily from the Philippines, Latin America and Africa. Howe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1300081/full |
| _version_ | 1797347879495401472 |
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| author | Galia Sabar Deby Babis Deby Babis Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander Uzi Ben-Shalom |
| author_facet | Galia Sabar Deby Babis Deby Babis Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander Uzi Ben-Shalom |
| author_sort | Galia Sabar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores how non-citizen minorities experience military service, focusing on children of international labor migrants who served in the Israel Defense Forces. During the 1990’s, Israel witnessed an influx of migrant workers, primarily from the Philippines, Latin America and Africa. However, due to Israeli immigration policies, neither they nor their Israeli-born children were eligible for citizenship. Consequently, upon reaching the age of 18, unlike their Israeli peers, these children were not recruited into the army. Furthermore, they lived under constant threat of deportation. Due to advocacy by civil society organizations, in 2006 and 2010 the government granted civic status (permanent residency) to approximately 1,500 children. This made them eligible for military service, a somewhat unique situation globally. Upon completion of their first year of military service, they were eligible for Israeli citizenship and their immediate family members were eligible for permanent residency. Through qualitative and quantitative research, we examine inclusion and belonging amongst children of migrant workers who served in the military. Our findings suggest that military service enabled them to overcome the exclusionary boundaries they experienced as children in three ways. Firstly, they achieved formal belonging by receiving citizenship. Secondly, they achieved informal belonging through the cultural and social capital this service accrued within Israeli society. Finally, for some, military service deepened their knowledge of Judaism and, in certain cases, led to conversion, thus fostering religious belonging. These three aspects facilitated inclusion and a sense of belonging for these formerly marginalized children while also enhancing their legitimacy within Israeli society. This unique case study contributes to ongoing global debates about the experiences of minority groups in the military. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:55:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4e5aac5ceeab482dbb58933212a9ca45 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:55:18Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-4e5aac5ceeab482dbb58933212a9ca452024-01-24T04:18:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-01-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.13000811300081“In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in IsraelGalia Sabar0Deby Babis1Deby Babis2Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander3Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander4Uzi Ben-Shalom5The Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelThe Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ariel University, Ariel, IsraelThe Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelSchool of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelGordon College of Education, Haifa, IsraelThe Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ariel University, Ariel, IsraelThis article explores how non-citizen minorities experience military service, focusing on children of international labor migrants who served in the Israel Defense Forces. During the 1990’s, Israel witnessed an influx of migrant workers, primarily from the Philippines, Latin America and Africa. However, due to Israeli immigration policies, neither they nor their Israeli-born children were eligible for citizenship. Consequently, upon reaching the age of 18, unlike their Israeli peers, these children were not recruited into the army. Furthermore, they lived under constant threat of deportation. Due to advocacy by civil society organizations, in 2006 and 2010 the government granted civic status (permanent residency) to approximately 1,500 children. This made them eligible for military service, a somewhat unique situation globally. Upon completion of their first year of military service, they were eligible for Israeli citizenship and their immediate family members were eligible for permanent residency. Through qualitative and quantitative research, we examine inclusion and belonging amongst children of migrant workers who served in the military. Our findings suggest that military service enabled them to overcome the exclusionary boundaries they experienced as children in three ways. Firstly, they achieved formal belonging by receiving citizenship. Secondly, they achieved informal belonging through the cultural and social capital this service accrued within Israeli society. Finally, for some, military service deepened their knowledge of Judaism and, in certain cases, led to conversion, thus fostering religious belonging. These three aspects facilitated inclusion and a sense of belonging for these formerly marginalized children while also enhancing their legitimacy within Israeli society. This unique case study contributes to ongoing global debates about the experiences of minority groups in the military.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1300081/fullchildren of labor migrantsarmybelonginginclusioncitizenshipIsrael |
| spellingShingle | Galia Sabar Deby Babis Deby Babis Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander Anabel Lifszyc-Friedlander Uzi Ben-Shalom “In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel Frontiers in Psychology children of labor migrants army belonging inclusion citizenship Israel |
| title | “In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel |
| title_full | “In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel |
| title_fullStr | “In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel |
| title_full_unstemmed | “In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel |
| title_short | “In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel |
| title_sort | in the army i m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in israel |
| topic | children of labor migrants army belonging inclusion citizenship Israel |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1300081/full |
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