الجيل الجديد والعصبية الحمائلية في الوسط العربي

Abstract

The study examines the sense of the “blind obedience” to the extended family (clan or tribe) among members of the new generation of Israeli Arabs, in the light of the changes which the Arab sector in Israel has been going through. The findings of this study show that these members display a much weaker sense of belonging to the clan (extended family) than that described by Ibn Khaldun (blind obedience and willingness to sacrifice one’s self for the tribe).  Among members of the new generation, bias with one’s family is a tool to achieve “personal goals” (job, prestige, leadership, social security, etc…) rather than collective interests. The demographic change within the village indicates a change in the familial structure and in the nature of the social relationships among the dwellers of the village themselves. The study clearly reveals that the family has become weaker. Yet,  it still attracts the members of the new generation. Social change has helped members of the new generation adopt the principle of “individualism” on the account of “collectivism”. To achieve self-actualization, they seem to distance themselves from the extended family. However, they soon discover, after realizing the futility of “individualism”, that the extended family is indeed indispensable.   Neither the school curricula nor the  social structure  seem to contribute to the weakening of the “sense of belonging to the extended family”. Rather, the schools are strongly affected by the surrounding social structure, which is rife with family-related considerations. Due to a high rate of unemployment, social alienation and inability to integrate in the various frameworks of the larger society, Arab academics find refuge in their extended families