From pioneer to freier: The changing models of generalized exchange in Israel

Roniger, Luis; Feige, Michael

doi:10.1017/s0003975600006470

Cited by 55 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The centrality of the freier concept in Israeli society has been established in previous work (Bloch, 1998(Bloch, , 2003Roniger & Feige, 1992. It is a native term that can refer to both the style of communication-as a metacommunicative label (Bloch, 1998)-and even more typically, to the outcome of certain types of interaction.…”

Section: The Freier Framementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the percentage of women doing volunteer work in Israel is far higher than that of men, according to Shalev (2003). She claims that altruism functions as an organizing principle of feminine morality, whereas egotism, typifying the dynamics of exchange models, is masculine (see also Roniger & Feige, 1992, who described the freier concept in terms of generalized exchange). The voluntary unpaid work done by women situates their roles in the realm of endless unrewarded caregiving functions as an extension of their private spheres, reinforcing what is presumed to be their essentialist 'motherly traits' of warmth, compassion, nurturing, and self-sacrifice.…”

Section: The Freieritmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“I Know I'm a Freierit, But…”: How a Key Cultural Frame (En)genders a Discourse of Inequality

Bloch¹,

Lemish²

2005

Journal of Communication

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This article investigates how a key frame of interaction establishes and reinforces gendered social relations within a given culture. It analyzes how the concept of the freier (roughly glossed as "sucker") is used in Israel, interpersonally and via the mass media, to demonstrate how gender is constructed through communication and inextricably bound to the specific cultural context in which it is located. This work exposes how the frame reinforces the underlying dynamics of gender inequality in society, examines the oppositional ways in which it is employed by women, and argues that its use in any form further entrenches the social bias. The article calls for analyses of discourse focusing on nondominant groups, within their specific cultural context, in order to examine the practical distribution of power in society.This work is a critical analysis of the gendered implications of a particular cultural symbol that frames many types of local interaction. The purpose of this article is to examine from a communication perspective, how gender is constructed through discourse and inextricably bound to the specific cultural context in which it is located. Although our focus here is on gender, many of the implications are also valid for other nondominant social groups.The concept of the freier is used here as a case study to illustrate how a key cultural frame further entrenches women in their secondary status in Israeli society. The term freier, or its marked female form, freierit, can be roughly glossed as "sucker" in English. It is so commonly used in daily speech and in the mass media, and so often referred to at all levels of society, that it has frequently been said to represent the very opposite of what it means to "be Israeli." As such, it is a key component in the cultural identity of the members of this society. The freier Linda-Renée Bloch (PhD, University of Texas) is a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University. Dafna Lemish (PhD, Ohio State University) is chair of the Department of Communication, Tel-Aviv University. Please direct correspondence to the second author: Dafna Lemish, Chair, Department of Communication, Tel-Aviv University, P.O.B. 39040 Ramat Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel; email: lemish@post.tau.ac.il. The first author would like to acknowledge the students in several seminar classes at Tel-Aviv University, Sapir College, and Bar-Ilan University, whose observations and help in collecting material were invaluable as a source of insight for this work.

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Section: The Freier Framementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Freieritmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I Know I'm a Freierit, But…”: How a Key Cultural Frame (En)genders a Discourse of Inequality

Bloch¹,

Lemish²

2005

Journal of Communication

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“…Thus, it accorded recognition and membership to any (Jewish) person living in Israel (i.e., in principle, distribution was regulated by equality). But becoming a Jewish pioneer meant devotion to national goals, choosing personal sacrifice over comfort, and playing down personal achievement and material gratification (Eisenstadt, 1967;Roniger & Feige, 1992), thus granting primacy to self-sacrifice and contribution (equity rules). This hegemonic ethos laid the foundation for a cultural hierarchy that distinguished between different societal groupings on the basis of their presumed contribution to the Zionist enterprise (Cohen, 1989;Peled & Shafir, 1996).…”

Section: Study 1: Structural Logic-mapping Out a Complex Socio-culturmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reflecting Upon Etic and Emic Perspectives on Distributive Justice

Sabbagh

Golden

2007

Soc Just Res

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The study of distributive justice may be examined using two research perspectives. The first, etic perspective seeks to unveil the common characteristics that characterize the spectrum of distributive justice phenomena across different cultures and circumstances. This perspective focuses on the universal aspects of justice behavior, namely, general laws and causal explanations. The second, emic perspective focuses on the ways in which justice behavior is expressed in specific socio-cultural contexts. This paper proposes a three-part reflection on these two perspectives on distributive justice. First, we review the ways in which the emic, culturally specific perspective has hitherto been incorporated into research on distributive justice; second, we examine the ways which the etic and emic perspectives are employed in two empirical studies on justice perception in Israel; and, finally, we suggest possible ways in which an extended emic perspective can be further incorporated in the study of distributive justice.

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“…However, much like the 'freier' and his predecessor, the 'pioneer', the school activists declared themselves to be socially committed and in search of new cultural horizons (Roniger and Feige, 1992). As such, they claimed to embody both the present-day consumer and the mythical Zionist pioneer, social attitudes usually perceived as contradictory.…”

Section: The Illanot Community Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents Who Get What They Want: On the Empowerment of the Powerful

Birenbaum‐Carmeli

1999

The Sociological Review

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This paper addresses the issue of parent involvement in school life in the newly emerging realm of commodified education. It explores the limits of empowerment and its context-dependent nature. The case under scrutiny is that of parent organising in an established Tel Aviv area, who demanded a share in the shaping of their children's education. These demands were couched in a hierarchy of moderate-status teachers and prestigious parents and backed by the parents' resources and their capability of effective organising. As the case unfolded, conflicts between the parents and the educational system turned into a paralysing factor, which further eroded the teachers' prestige and humiliated weaker parents within the community. Empowerment, commonly hailed as a desirable goal, may thus become an additional resource for the powerful, constituting less resourceful populations as passive and indifferent.

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From pioneer to freier: The changing models of generalized exchange in Israel

Cited by 55 publications

References 17 publications

“I Know I'm a Freierit, But…”: How a Key Cultural Frame (En)genders a Discourse of Inequality

“I Know I'm a Freierit, But…”: How a Key Cultural Frame (En)genders a Discourse of Inequality

Reflecting Upon Etic and Emic Perspectives on Distributive Justice

Parents Who Get What They Want: On the Empowerment of the Powerful

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