This study discusses the relations between life stories, political narratives and attitudes towards social problems taken by local leaders living in a poor, underprivileged suburb. Using the 'biographical-narrative' method, it addresses the questions-How do local conditions (in terms of: housing, social class, municipal policy, social networks, NGO settings, local conflicts, organizational narratives, etc.) affect local leaders' narratives, biographies, attitudes and strategies and, vice versa-How do their narratives affect the urban order? In order to attain these answers, this paper presents two contradicting narratives, taken from two different local activists, both acting on behalf of the weak Arab population in an Israeli suburb at the turn of 21st century. The findings show that these divergent narratives and resultant attitudes were both deeply rooted in each narrator's life story and close social milieu. Furthermore, such life stories, charged by certain biographical resources, generated and maintained particular strategies that, in turn, affected the reconstruction of their immediate urban socio-political order. Applying the 'biographical-narrative' method to the urban political realm has created a unique configuration of social analysis with some policy implications, especially in regard to community social work.

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Researching local leaders who must function under difficult circumstances, in disadvantage peripheral areas, is both complex and challenging topic. Theoretically speaking, one may argue that such peripheral places, by nature, are forced into a negative dynamic (being far from a metropolitan area, having low-level public services, selective migration, and so on). Such a situation may limit these local leaders' opportunities to realize their visions and goals, to apply their personal capabilities and biographies in the public sphere. The present article rejects the above logic, suggesting a more humanistic perspective. In support of the suggested approach, this article summarizes the findings of a series of empirical studies that describe a wide range of leadership modes exercised by Israeli local leaders functioning under demeaning peripheral conditions from 1983 to 2017. The study shows that, despite their similar circumstances, these Israeli leaders were highly distinct in many ways. Different leadership typologies are discussed that were observed in the Israeli peripheries during those years: hierarchical vs. egalitarian, reactive vs. proactive, transactional vs. transformational, radical vs. pragmatic-reformer. On a broad theoretical level, the findings clearly indicate the need for explanations that go beyond the mere geographical-political context, delving into the humanistic sphere to study each leader's unique personality and biography.

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This study discusses the religious identity and organizational patterns of a community of baalei teshuvah as a unique form of new religious movement. Findings over time show that community members originally took steps to integrate and merge with the dominant group of ultra-Orthodox in Israel (the Haredim), later adopted a sectarian pattern, then moved toward an alternative way of religious life, in time even challenging and criticizing the dominant Haredi stream. An additional objective of the study was to identify the sources and mechanisms of organizational and identity changes experienced by this community. The empirical analysis reveals that these changes were influenced by universal, local, national, and personal factors, such as the leaders’ worldview and biography. In light of these findings, we claim that when analyzing new religious movements, researchers must integrate and synthesize several aspects: structure and agency, macro and micro, and intentionality and contingency.