Conference Program

Bullying and peer violence are pervasive phenomena among adolescents, occurring within relatively permanent social groups and often with minimal support for victims. Research indicates that bullying is a complex, multi-level phenomenon influenced by inter- and intra-individual factors. Exposure to violence has both immediate and lifelong effects on physical and mental health and can negatively impact psychological and social well-being.

In Israel, bullying is a significant concern, with both verbal and physical forms being common. Local studies document rising incidences of bullying and a decreasing average age of involved students, mirroring international trends. Teacher-student relationships play a pivotal role in shaping classroom social dynamics. Negative school climates, where beliefs supporting aggression prevail, correlate with increased bullying. Conversely, victimization is less common when teachers are perceived to disapprove of bullying and maintain positive relationships with students. Students’ perceptions of teacher interventions influence their willingness to report bullying, highlighting the importance of teacher practices in mediating classroom violence.

This study adopts a critical sociological perspective to examine how Jewish and Arab teachers in Jerusalem interpret, negotiate, and respond to incidents of student bullying. Teachers’ responses are conceptualized as socially situated practices shaped by institutional norms, power relations, and ethno-national contexts, rather than as merely technical pedagogical decisions. The study asks whether—and how—responses to school violence differ between Jewish and Arab teachers within the same urban educational space. It investigates variations in disciplinary practices, modes of intervention, and the meanings attributed to violent incidents. Special attention is given to teachers’ reliance on formal disciplinary mechanisms, involvement of school authorities, engagement with parents, and use of exclusionary measures such as suspension or expulsion. These practices are analyzed not only as responses to individual incidents but also as reflections of differential positioning within the Israeli education system and its broader socio-political structures.

Focusing on Jerusalem, a city marked by profound ethno-national, political, and symbolic tensions, situates teachers’ responses to bullying within a contested social landscape. Despite growing research on school violence, relatively little attention has been paid to how teachers’ disciplinary practices are embedded in relations of power, minority-majority dynamics, and unequal institutional constraints. This gap is particularly evident in Israel, where education functions not only as a pedagogical arena but also as a site of social regulation and political meaning-making.

The study employs qualitative research design. Data are collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Jewish and Arab high school teachers in Jerusalem. Analysis combines inductive thematic exploration with theory-informed deductive interpretation, allowing identification of recurring patterns in teachers’ narratives and situating them within broader theoretical discussions on discipline, authority, institutional power, and ethno-national relations. Through comparative analysis, the study illuminates how responses to school bullying are shaped not only by professional norms but also by differential access to authority, legitimacy, and institutional support, highlighting the intersection of pedagogy, power, and democracy in a divided urban educational context.