Didactics of the Middle East Conflict

The significance of the Middle East conflict has been growing in German schools, politics, and the public sphere – especially since Chancellor Angela Merkel, addressing the Knesset in 2008, declared Israel’s security a non-negotiable commitment for the German state.

Learning about the Middle East conflict has been changing in recent years. It has gained a special status, and is no longer merely a case study for the more general topic of “international conflicts” as laid down in many school syllabuses. At the same time, there are complaints that the Middle East Conflict is neglected in schools, resulting in a failure to counter growing antisemitism, whether aimed against Israel, against Jewish institutions, or against individuals here in Germany. Hence, teaching and learning about the Middle East Conflict is highly charged and emotionally loaded in many ways – and is often directly political.

Focus on Training for Teachers and Others

The research also focuses on training for teachers and other individuals charged with helping young people form opinions. It seems that many teachers consider the Middle East conflict very important, but do not feel confident enough to teach classes on the subject, especially if their pupils come from Arab and/or Muslim families. They are asking for training, and also for external partners to carry out workshops. Often they want these experts to have a close personal connection with the Middle East conflict, for example through an affiliation with Islam or Judaism, or through family ties to an Arab state, the Palestinian territories, or Israel.

Questions about New Teaching Concepts and Materials

Particularly since the Second Intifada of 2000 and the 2001 attacks in the United States, many new projects and initiatives have engaged with the theme of Islamist and Israel-related antisemitism, and its role in the Middle East conflict, by designing new materials and seminars.

Rosa Fava’s research seeks to discover how the new projects deal with the emotional weight of the Middle East Conflict in their methods and materials, and which particular skills they aim to impart to teachers and other educators. Who are the players in the new educational institutions, and what are their personal concerns? How do these projects implement key principles of teaching history and civics – controversy, multiplicity of perspectives , and pluralism – while avoiding conflict in classrooms and youth centers? How do they bring together factual knowledge and emotions? How do they account for differing personal involvement in the conflict and the different kinds of identification at play – especially for teachers and team members who are treated as neutral and not directly affected?

In short, what does it take to teach about the Middle East Conflict? Have any general guidelines emerged that could also be applied to education on other international conflicts in which young people and adults have differing personal involvement? Last but not least, how does German national interest translate into education?

The research is empirically grounded in analyses of learning materials, observations of continuing education courses, and interviews. Based on her findings, Dr. Fava will develop and publish a set of practical recommendations.

Dr. Rosa Fava