european journal of social sciences issn: 1450-2267 - EuroJournals

European Journal of Social Sciences – Volume 5, Number 3 (2007)
Sampling Method
Thirty-four Druze women were interviewed. They were the first or among the first from their villages
to apply for higher education. In this study, a purposive, rather than a random sampling method was
used (Miles and Huberman, 1994), interviewing the ‘first’ Druze women.
Interviews
The interviews were conducted in Hebrew, a language in which all interviewees were fluent, and were
held at the interviewee’s homes. The interviews had two parts: In the first part, following Rosenthal’s
technique (Rosenthal, 1992), participants were asked to talk about their lives in an unstructured
manner, enabling internal and dynamic processes to emerge from their own subjective perspectives.
The second part was a semi-structured interview comprising specific questions and themes that arose
during the previous interview. At times, interviews extended more than seven hours, thanks to the
cordial hospitality of the Druzes, and they often included invitations for traditional meals prepared
beforehand and conversations with other members of the family.
My alienness as a researcher was obvious, however; during the research I found that my
positioning as an outsider or insider was not fixed (See Author, 2007). In some cases, I was an
“outsider” not understanding the culture and religion, not aware of the various meanings of the customs
and words. When other topics were discussed, however, I was treated as an “insider” since I was one of
the few people with whom the participants could talk about the experiences of their education and the
different world to which they were exposed, a world to which I belonged. Being a stranger, and at the
same time understanding their experiences in Israeli universities, enabled them to speak freely about
their inner worlds, their inner conflicts and difficulties (see Simmel, 1921 in Simmel, 1950).
Method of Analysis
Phenomenological narrative methodology, based on life stories and their interpretation (Bruner, 1991;
Bruner, 1991), enabled a closer understanding of the interviewees’ self-perceived, subjective point of
view (Bruner, 1991; Reinharz, 1997:5; Maynard and Purvis, 1994:12; Taylor, 1998). Giorgi’s
phenomenological analysis (Giorgi, 1989) was selected for its adherence to the text. Many of the
women’s own personal narratives are presented in the text, allowing marginalized women to make
their private stories public (Pessate-Schubert, 2003) and their voices heard (Maynard & Purvis, 1994;
Taylor, 1998).
Findings and Discussion
Identity Changes Following Higher Education
While studying at university, the first students encountered methods of study that differed from the
authoritarian approaches that were the norm in the Druze and Arab schools the women had attended
(Al-Haj, 1988; Dwairy, 1998 Alean, 2006). This period of university study exposed the Druze students
to individualistic theories and norms that altered their notions about the individual's place in society.
Studying in a different, Western culture and encountering different views, values and norms enabled
them to gain a new perspective through which they could review and reflect upon their own needs,
values and way of life.
During their years at university the interviewees experienced an attitude which encouraged
independent thought, permitted the questioning of knowledge and authority, and legitimized inquiry
(Author, 2006b, 2004). They were encouraged to express their views and give voice to their unique
ideas. This period exposed the Druze students not only to academic knowledge, but also to different
Western values (ibid, see Al-Haj 1988).
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