Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An Ultra-Orthodox Researcher: Oxymoron or Opportunity? A Typology of Appearances of Conflicting Identities of an Insider Researcher

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Context-Informed Perspectives of Child Risk and Protection in Israel

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 10))

  • 317 Accesses

Abstract

The Ultra-Orthodox community segregates itself from external influence in order to preserve its values. Both academia and the world of research are perceived as dangerous influential arenas that need to be kept out of the community as much as possible. Therefore, an Ultra-Orthodox researcher deals with these two conflicting parts of their identity: being Ultra-Orthodox and being part of the academic research world. This chapter describes the experience of an Ultra-Orthodox researcher in different contexts. An analysis of these experiences reveals four different types of expression of these two conflicting parts of the Ultra-Orthodox researcher’s identity: (1) one component of the identity is empowered; (2) one component is diminished: (3) both components are diminished; and (4) both components are empowered. The article links the findings to theoretical literature that deals with the tensions between religion and science and the insider-outsider discourse. Recommendations for future research are included.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and theology. It is commonly learned/studied by men in the Ultra-Orthodox community.

References

  • Adler, P., & Adler, P. (1987). Membership roles in field research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, I. (2002). Nature, human nature, and God, theology and the science. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger, R. (2015). Now I see it, now I don’t: Researcher’s position and reflexivity in qualitative research. Qualitative Research, 15(2), 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794112468475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahaner, L., & Shilhav, Y. (2012). From ghetto to suburb—Changes in the Ultra-Orthodox space in Israel. In K. Kaplan & N. Stadler (Eds.), From survival to consolidation: Changes in Israeli Haredi society and its scholarly study (pp. 252–272). Jerusalem: Van Leer. [Hebrew]

    Google Scholar 

  • Cassell, C., & Symon, G. (Eds.). (2004). Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodick, J., & Shuchat, R. B. (2014). Historical interactions between Judaism and science and their influence on science teaching and learning. In M. R. Matthews (Ed.), International handbook of research in history, philosophy and science teaching (pp. 1721–1757). Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7654-8_54

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dwyer, S. C., & Buckle, J. L. (2009). The space between: On being an insider-outsider in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690900800105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edelstein, O. E., Band-Winterstein, T., & Bachner, Y. G. (2016). The meaning of burden of care in a faith-based community: The case of ultra-Orthodox Jews (UOJ). Aging & Mental Health, 21(8), 851–861. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2016.1175418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Efron, N. (2007). Judaism and science: A historical introduction. Westport, CT: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fass, H., & Lazar, R. (2011). Social work and the Haredi community in Israel: From rejection to acceptance as reflected in the narrative of a Haredi social worker. Reflections, 17(4), 32–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freund, A., Cohen, M., & Azaiza, F. (2014). The doctor is just a messenger: Beliefs of ultraorthodox Jewish women in regard to breast cancer and screening. Journal of Religion and Health, 53(4), 1075–1090. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-013-9695-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M. (1991). The Haredi Ultra-Orthodox society: Sources trends and processes. Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. [Hebrew]

    Google Scholar 

  • Hockey, J. (1993). Research methods—researching peers and familiar settings. Research Papers in Education, 8(2), 199–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267152930080205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalagy, T. (2016). Three approaches to the connection between modernization and traditionalism: A case study of the acquisition of academic education among ultra-Orthodox and Bedouin women. Culture and Religion, 17(3), 312–331. https://doi.org/10.1080/14755610.2016.1217898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, Z. J. (2004). Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, Zionism, and Hungarian Ultra-Orthodoxy. Modern Judaism, 24(2), 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1093/mj/kjh012

  • Kaplan, K., & Stadler, N. (2012). From survival to consolidation: Changes in Israeli Haredi society and its scholarly study. Jerusalem, Israel: Van Leer. [Hebrew]

    Google Scholar 

  • Krakowski, M. (2008). Dynamics of isolation and integration in Ultra-Orthodox schools: The epistemological implications of using Rabbeim as secular studies teachers. Journal of Jewish Education, 74(3), 317–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/15244110802418377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onorato, R. S., & Turner, J. C. (2004). Fluidity in the self-concept: The shift from personal to social identity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 34(3), 257–278. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polkinghorne, J. (1998). Belief in God in an age of science. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravitzky, A. (1996). Messianism, Zionism, and Jewish religious radicalism. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rier, D. A., Schwartzbaum, A., & Heller, C. (2008). Methodological issues in studying an insular, traditional population: A women’s health survey among Israeli Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews. Women & Health, 48(4), 363–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/03630240802575054

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samet, M. (1988). The beginnings of Orthodoxy. Modern Judaism, 8(3), 249–269. https://doi.org/10.1093/mj/8.3.249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stadler, N. (2012). A well-worn tallis for a new ceremony. Brighton, MA: Academic Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valins, O. (2000). Institutionalised religion: Sacred texts and Jewish spatial practice. Geoforum, 31(4), 575–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0016-7185(00)00020-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zanbar, L., & Itzhaky, H. (2014). The contribution of macro-intervention social workers to the success of volunteer community activists. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 25(1), 92–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-012-9333-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zicherman, H., & Cahaner, L. (2012). Modern Ultra-Orthodoxy: The emerging Haredi middle class in Israel. Jerusalem: The Israel Democracy Institute. [Hebrew]

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NEVET- Greenhouse of Context-Informed Research and Training for Children in Need, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Netanel Gemara

Authors
  1. Netanel Gemara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Netanel Gemara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NEVET-Greenhouse of Context-Informed Research and Training for Children in Need, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Dorit Roer-Strier

  2. NEVET-Greenhouse of Context-Informed Research and Training for Children in Need, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Yochay Nadan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Gemara, N. (2020). An Ultra-Orthodox Researcher: Oxymoron or Opportunity? A Typology of Appearances of Conflicting Identities of an Insider Researcher. In: Roer-Strier, D., Nadan, Y. (eds) Context-Informed Perspectives of Child Risk and Protection in Israel. Child Maltreatment, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44278-1_16

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44278-1_16

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44277-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44278-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation