Eric Shuman

My research interests broadly focus on collective action and how it affects the relations between groups embedded in unequal social relations or in conflict. In particular, I am interested in different types of collective action (e.g. nonviolent, nonnormative, violent). My research examines psychological factors that promote support for these types of action, but also the effects and effectiveness of these types of action at motivating the high power group to address inequality and pursue conflict resolution.

Currently, my main research focus is understanding the psychological effects of collective action by disadvantaged groups, with the aim of understanding what makes collective action effective in driving social change. I do this using a number of research methodologies. First, I use experimental methods where I randomly expose participants to similar actions, but where key components (e.g. the tactics, participants, or messages) have been systematically varied, and then measure their reactions. This allows me to make causal conclusions about the impact of various features of collective action. However, I also complement, these controlled experimental studies with longitudinal studies of real-world action as it happens. For example, I have been involved in two projects examining the impact of two large scale actions over time (#MeToo and March for our Lives). I hope to use the insights gained from this research to inform efforts for social change towards greater equality between groups.

Eric Shuman is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Psychology, University of Groningen  (supervisors: Professor Martijn van Zomeren, Professor Eran Halperin, Professor Tamar Saguy) and a visiting doctoral fellow at the Hebrew University and the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management and Resolution. His research interests include collective action and emotions, and power relations in conflict. In particular, he is interested in different types of collective action (e.g. nonviolent, nonnormative, violent), and their effectiveness. Apart from his academic work, Eric works as a consultant in the Learning and Knowledge Development department of aChord: Social Psychology for Social Change. aChord Center is a non-profit organization that specializes in the social psychology of intergroup relations. The center's unique added value is in developing innovative, evidence-based, practical knowledge and tools to improve intergroup relations, by utilizing cutting-edge social psychological theory and data. Eric works to develop theory and research-based tools that practitioners at aChord can use for their work in the field.

Publications:

Hasan-Aslih, S., Shuman, E., Goldenberg, A., Pliskin, R., van Zomeren, Halperin, E. (in press). The Quest for Hope: Disadvantaged Group Members Can Fulfill Their Desire to Feel Hope, but only when They Believe in Their Power. Social and Personality Psychology Science.

Shuman, E., Johnson, D., Saguy, T., & Halperin, E. (2018). Threat to the group’s image can motivate high identifiers to take action against in-group transgressions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44, 1523-1544. DOI:10.1177/0146167218768800

Shuman, E., Halperin, E., & Reifen Tagar, M. (2018). Anger as a catalyst for change? Incremental beliefs and anger’s constructive effects in conflict. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21, 1092-1106. DOI:10.1177/1368430217695442

Shuman, E., Cohen‐Chen, S., Hirsch‐Hoefler, S., & Halperin, E. (2016). Explaining normative versus nonnormative action: The role of implicit theories. Political Psychology, 37, 835-852. DOI:10.1111/pops.123

2018-2019 Academic Year

Yifat Mor

My current research examines Israeli-Jews’ social, political and commercial uses of Facebook as members of a divided society, embedded in a protracted, intractable and asymmetrical conflict between Israeli-Jews and Palestinians.  

While the tools and affordances provided by Facebook for private users as well as advertisers are globally unified, the specific socio-political context of a divided society embedded in a protracted, intractable conflict encourages users to come up with creative coping strategies, practices and behaviors that help customize Facebook to their needs, motivations and desires. My research examines dilemmas, challenges and coping strategies that characterize Facebook usage for political expression among Jewish-Israeli youth as members of a highly divisive society embedded in a protracted, intractable conflict. Moreover, it aims to explore to what extent and in which ways can Facebook promote or repress interactions between members of the divided Israeli society that hold opposing views regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its resolution, and between members of opposing groups in this conflict.

Yifat Mor is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Communication (supervisor: Professor Ifat Maoz) and a doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management and Resolution. Her research interests are impression management on social media, social media and political participation, digital activism, online intergroup dialogue, targeting and digital marketing. Apart from her academic work, Yifat is an online content creator and community manager, working with governmental and non-governmental organizations and harnessing her knowledge and experience to promote various causes using digital media. 

Publications:

Mor, Y., Kligler-Vilenchik, N., & Maoz, I. (2015). Political expression on Facebook in a context of conflict: Dilemmas and coping strategies of Jewish-Israeli youth. Social Media+ Society, 1(2), 2056305115606750.‏

Mor, Y., Ron, Y., & Maoz, I. (2016). “Likes” for Peace: Can Facebook Promote Dialogue in the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict? Media and communication, 4(1), 15-26.‏

2017-2018 Academic Year

Clila Gerassi-Tishby

My current research deals with perceptions, societal beliefs, dilemmas and narratives that emerge in relation to the acquisition of the Hebrew language among East Jerusalem Palestinians.

Language serves as the first function for creating social connections; moreover, it is a significant symbol of cultural unity and it has a central role in formulating ethnic and national identities. The ambivalent relationship of identity to language is well expressed by post-colonial literature: language includes a dimension of resistance because it is a tool of control, oppression, and obedience. Nonetheless, at the same time, the language of the colonizer also serves as a means of advancement and social mobility. The aim of my research is to examine perceptions, attitudes, and emotions of a disadvantaged minority group in relation to the acquisition of the language of the dominant majority, as well as the motivations, dilemmas, and modes of coping with the need to acquire the language in the context of an intractable asymmetric conflict—the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Specifically, the study explores the views of East Jerusalem Palestinians who chose to study the Hebrew language in a Hebrew language school in West Jerusalem.

Considering that language can serve as a government tool for oppressing the minority and subordinating national identity, there are situations in which members of the subordinate group, in acquiring the language of the dominant group, act against their interests. In the case of the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, these interests are connected to their ideological and national struggle and the need for self-definition and for a Palestinian national identity. Thus, paradoxically, the motivation to acquire the Hebrew language can be perceived both as a tool to deal with a reality of oppression and as an act of resistance, activism, and empowerment. Nonetheless, in the case of a minority population in the context of a violent and intractable conflict such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, acquiring the language of the dominant group is accompanied by dilemmas and difficulties. Learning Hebrew is perceived in a complex and ambivalent manner, which includes the real and symbolic advantages and disadvantages, given the unique situation of the Palestinians as a deprived population in an asymmetric conflict.

Clila graduated with honor from the Jerusalem School of Business Administration at the Hebrew University. In 2011, as part of her studies at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, she wrote a seminar project titled “Perceptions, attitudes, and emotions of Palestinian Hebrew teachers in relation to teaching the Hebrew language in East Jerusalem Palestinian schools”. This work led to her acceptance to the Department of Communication as a “supplementary research student.” Today she is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Communication (supervisor: Professor Ifat Maoz). Her main research interests are: sociopsychological dynamics, East Jerusalem Palestinians, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, minority language rights, language ideology and policy.

Dr. Efrat Daskal

My current research deals with digital rights advocacy. I explore how civil society organizations advocate for citizens' digital rights (e.g. right to privacy, freedom of speech, access to the internet etc.) in the national and international levels, while confronting governments and internet companies in the political, judicial and public arenas. 

askal My current research deals with digital rights advocacy. I explore how civil society organizations advocate for citizens' digital rights (e.g. right to privacy, freedom of speech, access to the internet etc.) in the national and international levels, while confronting governments and internet companies in the political, judicial and public arenas. 

Efrat worked for four years as an assistant Ombudsman of SATR (the regulatory body of the channels of commercial television and radio in Israel). Following that job she chose to focus her research on the role that civil society organizations in shaping and influencing the media policy. In 2016-2017 Efrat is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lady Davis.

Rotem Nagar

My current research deals with the Struggle for Recognition: The Role of Demands for Recognition in Asymmetric Conflicts.

Recognition is increasingly being seen as a vital condition for resolving conflicts, as well as for normalizing processes and achieving a modus vivendi. Yet, only few studies have attempted to empirically examine what recognition actually means for those who are involved in asymmetric protracted conflicts. The goal of my research is to examine psychological and ideological factors that underlie public opinion (un)willingness to recognize the other side in situations of conflict, in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Considering that recognition is crucial for resolving asymmetric conflicts, understanding the conditions that make the recognition of the rights and needs of out-groups possible might be essential in paving the way to settling conflicts and disputes.

Rotem graduated with honor from The Swiss Center for conflict Research and from The Department of Sociology at the Hebrew University in 2011. Today she is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Communication and at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, and a doctoral fellow at the Truman Institute for Peace Research (supervisor: Professor Ifat Maoz). Her research interests are psychological, ideological and media-related aspects of conflict resolution and conflict transformation, including aspects that underline the (un-)willingness to recognize the other side in conflicts. Rotem is one of two recipients of the Hans Guth Dreyfus Fund  for the 2016-2017 academic year, given by The Aharon Barak Center for Interdisciplinary Legal Research and the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management and Resolution.

Dr. Amit Sheniak 

My Current research deals with the legitimization process of state involvement in Cyber-conflict.

Cyber-conflicts are a current version of human conflicts, and are evident in both the domestic and the international arenas. In my research I aim to explore and describe the actions taken by state in order to legitimize the use of force employed by them in and through cyberspace. Those actions contribute to the establishment of a new evolving international norm - the right of state to project power over civilian through and in cyberspace and to get involved in cyber-conflicts in order to regulate, contain and settle them. The research’s methodology is based upon the study of formal statements and quotes and recorded evident of states “Soft-Power” actions.

The importance of the research lies in the so called “information revolution” and the growing importance of the Internet to vast aspects of modern life which have yield both benefits and challenges to state security and stability. More over, cyber security issues are at the hurt of the world leading powers and perceived by citizens as a major vulnerability that on the one hand might endanger their daily routine, and on the other hand are a vessel in which governments and regimes repeatedly use to violate their privacy. The research has the potential to contribute to the understanding of cyber conflict in general and state’s ability to resolve them in particular, a field of study that was not yet properly researched.

Amit is a Post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for conflict research and a research fellow at the center for Science Technology and Society in Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. He received his PhD (2015) in Political Science form the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, combined with a public professional career as a policy adviser and strategic planner in the Israeli ministry of defense (IDF J5) and the Israeli parliament (the Knesset). He also holds a BA in political science and international relations and MA in democratic studies (all from the Hebrew University). is one of two recipients of the Hans Guth Dreyfus Fund  for the 2016-2017 academic year, given by The Aharon Barak Center for Interdisciplinary Legal Research and the Swiss Center for Conflict Research, Management and Resolution.

Dr. Ibrahim Hazboun

Ibrahim Hazboun, PhD

Ibrahim Hazboun holds a Ph.D. degree from the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew university. His dissertation, entitled “Journalism in Asymmetric Conflicts: Experiences and Practices of Palestinian Journalists.” The dissertation focuses on how groups shape and express their narratives and agendas through the media when restricted by the conditions, pressures and limitations of asymmetrical conflict. This was done by mapping the dispersed, fragmented and decentralized landscape of Palestinian media outlets and through analyzing the experiences of Palestinian journalists working for local media outlets. Thus, the dissertation explores the ways in which Palestinian journalists living in a marginalized community attempt to use social media to overcome political domination and geopolitical restrictions within the context of the asymmetrical conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Several of his papers were published in peer-reviewed academic journals and presented in international academic conferences. 

Dr. Hazboun is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Resolution conducting research entitled “The dynamics and experiences of living in a conflict-torn area of East Jerusalem during the COVID-19 pandemic".

Dr. Hazboun research interests include journalistic practices during war and conflict, narratives of inter group and marginalized communities during conflicts and new media. Also, Dr. Hazboun is a journalist since 1999. He covered the Israeli Palestinian conflict, peace negotiations, Israel Lebanon war in 2006 and the wars in Gaza. He also covered other regional and international revolutions and conflicts including Egypt, Turkey and the war in Syria.

Publications:

Hazboun, I., Maoz, I. & Blondhiem, M. (2019). Palestinian media landscape: Experiences, narratives, and agendas of journalists under restrictions. The Communication Review. 22(1), 1-25. DOI: 10.1080/10714421.2018.1557964

Hazboun, I. & Maoz, I. (2018). Palestinian journalists turn to social media: Experiences and practices of covering the asymmetrical conflict in Jerusalem. Conflict & Communication Online, 17(2).  ISSN 1618-0747

Hazboun, I., Ron, Y., & Maoz, I. (2016). Journalists in times of crisis: Experiences and practices of Palestinian journalists during the 2014 Gaza war. The Communication Review, 19(3), 223-236. DOI: 10.1080/10714421.2016.1195206

The dynamics and experiences of living in a conflict-torn area of East Jerusalem during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract: 

Palestinian-Jerusalemites face the battle against the spread of virus in a complex geopolitical situation, including deteriorated living conditions, instability, deep poverty, difficult mobility and fragile health system especially in neighborhoods that were excluded and separated by the Israeli built wall. Tens of thousands of Palestinians live in East Jerusalem neighborhoods are left alone to deal with the effects of the virus. The researcher will conduct semi structured in-depth interviews with Palestinian activists and medical staff from East Jerusalem aimed at understanding the dynamics and experiences of living as a marginalized community when restricted by the conditions, pressures, and limitations of asymmetrical conflict. The importance of the analysis is to further investigate the way marginalized communities living under the impact of conflict behave during an external and life-threatening crisis as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nechumi Yaffe

Nechumi Yaffe's dissertation examine the issue of poverty and disadvantage in the Ultra-Orthodox community using the "theory of capabilities and functions" (sen 1992; Nussbaum, 1997). The theory postulate that the most exact and comprehensive way to measure poverty is through an examination of the overall functions and capabilities that are available to the individual. This measurement reflects the totality of the real opportunities available to people in a given society. This approach is consistent with the unique nature of the "orthodox poor" because it initially does not set the proper and good of humans, but focuses on the universal base that can adapt itself culturally. In this way, the unique nature of the Ultra-Orthodox poverty can be discovered as well as the unique important functions to this community and in accordance with the shortfall that characterizes the state of poverty. In addition, the dissertation will examine poverty from the social psychology prospective answering the question of why poverty rates in the Ultra-Orthodox community in Israel are significantly higher than Orthodox communities around the world. The hypothesis is that the Haredi society in Israel is conducted in context of power relations in the face of secular society that presents an alternative to non-Jewish existence revolved around traditional religious law, and produces a struggle for Jewish identity. The hypothesis therefore is that part of the ongoing Haredi poverty is partly due to the value and importance that many ultra-Orthodox members' attach to the message inherent in being a spiritual society, whose members are less bound to the physical world.

Nechumi Yaffe is a PhD candidate at the Swiss Center fir Conflict Research, Management and Resolution at the Hebrew University (supervised by Prof, Avner De-Shalit and Prof. Eran Halperin). Nechumi also teaches in Beit Hamore College 

Michal Raz Rotem

My study is designed to unravel the impact of the rifts in Israeli society on the functioning of a small but socially diverse group, where collaboration is not voluntary but rather stems from the members' job definition and organizational positions. The research examines interactions among members of different social groups and the internal dynamics within the small group, including the communication patterns, the quality of cooperation, mutual trust, the image of the other group members, and perceived  justice and fairness as opposed to feelings of discrimination. The dynamics of the team is examined via the perceptions of the team members.

The study investigates the dynamics in diverse work teams in two different situations: at times of relative calm of the intractable conflict and during episodes of fighting or violent outbreaks of the conflict (peaks of conflict escalation). This aspect of the study will shed light on shifts in the team members' perceptions and behavior along the changing intensity and conspicuousness of the intractable conflict.

In addition, the proposed study examines the phenomena mentioned above in a field setting - in medical and para-medical teams in contrast to previous studies that have examined similar processes using ad hoc groups, some of which were created as part of group encounters consisting of two national/ethnic groups (Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux, 2005; Maoz, 2000; 2011; 2000; Dixon & Durrhiem, 2003; Suleiman 2004). The study examines how employees perceive their relationships with the "other" in the context of a divided society. The current study  also attempts to respond to the criticism concerning the contact hypothesis (Allport, 1954), claiming that most studies have examined contact between groups only in optimal conditions rather than in situations where the contact is not voluntary and takes place in the course of protracted  and asymmetrical conflict (in terms of power relations between the parties).

Michal Raz Rotem graduated with honor (cum laude) from the Sociology and Anthropology Department at Haifa University. Today she is a Ph.D candidate at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research at the Hebrew University (supervisors: Professor Ifat Maoz and Professor Helena Desivilya Syna). Michal`s dissertation has been awarded the presidential scholarship for excellence and innovation in science. Michal is also a lecturer at The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College and at the Open University

Maya de Vries

My current research deals with the Social Media within Disadvantaged Communities in Intractable Conflict Zones: The Case Study of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. My research aims to reveal, using discourse analysis, the role of social media and its uses within disadvantaged political groups situated in an intractable conflict such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Moreover, in this research I hope to add to the existing knowledge about Jerusalem as a contested city, focusing on the Palestinian population in the city.

Maya de Vries graduated from the The Swiss Center for conflict Research in 2011, today the coordinator of the Swiss Center Internship Program Conducted in the framework of the Faculty of Social Science Project, and a doctoral student at the Department of Communication and at the Swiss Center (supervisor: ProfessorIfat Maoz). 

Dr. Yiftach Ron

My current research deals with the interrelations between collective narratives, personal narratives and continuous involvement in intergroup dialogue processes. Using a thematic content-analysis of in-depth interviews and transcripts of sessions of an intergroup encounter-workshop, my research investigates the relationships between involvement in intergroup dialogue, narratives, ideology and attitudes toward the resolution of conflicts. This is done in the context of the ongoing conflict and dialogue processes between Palestinians and Jews in Israel, and with a focus on the experience and viewpoint of Jewish Israelis who have been continuously involved in Jewish-Palestinian encounter programs. This research seeks to contribute to our understanding of the processes occurring as a result of the exposure to the narrative of the other in an intergroup dialogue, and the ways in which these processes can not only mitigate the destructive role that ethnocentric beliefs and narratives play in conflict situations, but also help to promote processes of conflict resolution and peacemaking.

 Yiftach Ron is a Lecturer, Academic Projects Coordinator and Methodological Advisor in The Swiss Center for conflict Research, Management and resolution, and a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Harry S. Truman Research Institute. He is currently at the course of submitting his Ph.D in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the Hebrew University (Supervisors: Professor Ifat Maoz and Dr. Zvi Bekerman). 

Dr. Nimrod Rosler

My research project seeks to study how political leaders mobilize social support and legitimacy in the context of a peace process. The project aims at exploring the understudied area of leadership in the field of conflict resolution by conducting a comparative study of leaders of both sides in various conflicts around the world. My use of a comparative research design is intended to broaden our understanding of the challenges peace processes pose to societies accustomed to living under intractable conflict and the role leaders play in meeting these and inaugurating change.

Nimrod Rosler is currently a Lady Davis post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Conflict Research. He received his Ph.D. in 2012 from the Swiss Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and spent the last two years as a Visiting Israel Professor at the Center for Global and International Studies, the University of Kansas, on behalf of AICE-Schusterman foundation.