ERIC Number: EJ809861
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1559-5692
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Nation and Ethnic Identity Self-Definitions in a Canadian Language Class
Feuer, Avital
Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, v2 n2 p135-153 Apr 2008
An ethnographic study of a Canadian, undergraduate, advanced Hebrew course composed of heritage language learners of diverse backgrounds examined the fluctuating notion of nation and shifting national membership affiliations. Data collection techniques included participant observation and in-depth, semistructured, focus group and individual interviews of 10 students. The professor found varied constructions of national identity mediated by the influence of the learning and usage of modern Hebrew. Although all students and the professor were Jewish and identified as such, two predominant categories ("Canadians" and "Israelis") were formed and imposed and divided the classroom when students gathered as a group. However, on further examination in individual interviews, contradictory self- and other identifications emerged based on individuals' relations to Hebrew. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Semitic Languages, Ethnicity, Jews, Nationalism, Participant Observation, Focus Groups, Ethnography, Second Language Instruction, Heritage Education, Second Language Learning, Interviews, Language Usage, Self Concept, Undergraduate Students, Advanced Courses
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada; Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A