Israel-sociology.org.il

Minority Groups: Coersion, Discrimination, Exclusion, Deviance and
the Quest for Equality
Prof. Dan Soen, Dr. Mally Shechory, Prof. Sarah Ben-David (eds.)
Society consists of numerous interconnected, interacting, and interdependent groups, which invariably differ in power and status. The consequences of belonging to the more powerful, higher-status majority versus a less powerful, lower-status minority can be profound. It seems clear that inequqlity and conflict between social groups entails not only economic, but also, and centrally, sociological and political factors. The tensions that arise between these groups are the root of society's most Ethnic and minority conflict is an inherent part of social life. The study of specific ethnic and minority groups reflect the fact that people live in very powerful competitive modern or traditional socities, and that group conflict and inequality is
generally the social norm rather than the exception.
Most countries are culturally diverse. According to recent estimates the world's more than 180 independent states contain over 600 living language groups and 5,000 (!) ethnic groups. In very few countries can the citizens be said to share the same language, or belong to the one ethnonational group. This diversity gives rise to a series of important and potentially divisive questions. Minorities and majorities increasingly clash over such issues as language rights, regional and national autonomy, political representation, economic opportunities, education curriculum, land claims, immigration and naturalization policy, even national symbols, such as the choice of national anthem or public holidays. Since the end of the Cold War, ethno-national-cultural conflicts have become the most common source of political violence and social upheaval in the world, and they show no sign of abating. Most organized political communities throughout recorded history have been multiethnic and multicultural. Yet most Western political theorists have operated with an idealized model in which fellow citizens share a common To achieve this far-fetched ideal of homogeneous polity, governments throughout history have pursued a variety of policies regarding cultural, national and linguistic minorities. Some minorities have been physically eliminated, either by mass expulsion or transfer (ethnic cleansing) or by genocide. Other minorities were coercively assimilated, forced to adopt the language, religion and customs and social norms of the majority group. In yet other cases minorities were treated as resident aliens, subjected to physical segregation and economic discrimination and excluded in The proposed book is meant to reflect this complex reality all around the globe. The editors will welcome articles – both empirical studies, as well as theoretical papers and literature reviews - dealing with various aspects of discrimination and exclusion of minority groups; social problems resulting from cultural, linguistic, religious and national diversity; criminological aspects as well as victimization emanating from this diversity and heterogeneity. Articles whose focus is on the effect of official and unofficial social policy on the life of minority groups are also Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit an extensive abstract of up to 1,000 words in English by December 1, 2010. The article itself should be 5,000-6,000 words long. The abstracts should be e-mailed to Prof. Dan Soen:
לאירא ,לאירא יאטיסרבינואה זכרמה :תבותכ

Source: http://www.israel-sociology.org.il/uploadimages/minority.1.12.2010.pdf