Paper short abstract:

In recent years, a new phenomenon is taking place in the education system. This is the growing integration of the Arab female teachers in schools in the Jewish sector. These teachers are primarily engaged in teaching subjects such as Arabic, English, Science and Mathematics. This study presents the complex story of these teachers who are regarded as part of the emerging Arab middle class in Israel.

Paper long abstract:

The Arab female teachers allow the establishment of contact and cooperation arenas between Jewish and Arab groups; therefore, this study was designed to reveal the emergence of a new contact-scene, which takes place in Jewish schools, thus providing a glimpse into a new discourse and cultural worlds emerging from the Arab sector in the last decade.

The interpretation of the findings relied primarily on two theoretical analysis; first, the Contact Theory as the starting point for understanding interaction between actors through the formation of a new contact scene. Second, integrating the Contact theory with Politics of Identity, which developed as part of the contact’s impact. The research methodology is qualitative. 11 In-depth interviews were conducted and filmed using a video camera.