My research focuses on social change in formal and informal educational settings, exploring how educators, activists, and youth can be agents of change regarding gender and sexuality.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Israel, 2023
LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other sexual and gender expressions) politics in Israel... more LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other sexual and gender expressions) politics in Israel are contradictory; at times progressive, and at other times reflecting a reserved liberal policy of delimiting LGBT+ sexualities to the private sphere. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, there have been tremendous gains for LGBT+ people in Israel. These gains were produced and bolstered by neoliberal politics that manifested in a homonational discourse. Homonationalism refers to a politics of normalization through neoliberal notions of consumerism and domestication combined with national assimilation. Although Israeli neoliberal politics have translated into uneven gains for the trans community and others, the trans community continues to experience material disadvantages, violence, and discrimination, and hard-won activist gains are perpetually under threat by the anti-trans coalition. The chapter focuses on activist processes and on two institutional settings – the healthcare and education systems – to further explore privatization processes and individualist perspective on LGBT+ people. This framework is informed by the local understanding of post-homonationalism, reflecting a privatized urban belonging and normativity based on the value LGBT+ people produce for urban spaces rather than on promoting pro-LGBT+ legislation. This, once again, reflects a reserved liberal policy that addresses the specific needs of LGBT+ people while rendering them so specific as not to undermine the policy’s nationalist and homonormative import.
Positive LGBT+ content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environme... more Positive LGBT+ content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environment for all students, particularly LGBT+. However, worldwide evidence shows that textbooks underrepresent LGBT+ issue. A possible explanation for this pattern is that most study topics do not lend themselves for issues related to sexuality and gender. We interrogate this argument by examining the representation of all sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) in 36 state-approved history textbooks for high school in Israel. Utilizing an original standardized coding protocol, we compare representation of queer and hetero-cisgender content. Our findings reveal that textbooks include multiple references to SOGIE across various thematic contexts, yet these are almost exclusively limited to heterosexuality and cisgender persons, while queer sexualities and expressions are marginalized or excluded. We discuss the implications of these problematic patterns for school climate and offer recommendations for incorporating diverse SOGIE content in different study topics in history classes.
Positive LGBT1 content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environme... more Positive LGBT1 content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environment for all students, particularly LGBT1. However, worldwide evidence shows that textbooks underrepresent LGBT1 issue. A possible explanation for this pattern is that most study topics do not lend themselves for issues related to sexuality and gender. We interrogate this argument by examining the representation of all sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) in 36 state-approved history textbooks for high school in Israel. Utilizing an original standardized coding protocol, we compare representation of queer and hetero-cisgender content. Our findings reveal that textbooks include multiple references to SOGIE across various thematic contexts, yet these are almost exclusively limited to heterosexuality and cisgender persons, while queer sexualities and expressions are marginalized or excluded. We discuss the implications of these problematic patterns for school climate and offer recommendations for incorporating diverse SOGIE content in different study topics in history classes.
Abstract In conjunction with global efforts, Israel has committed to promoting lesbian, gay, bise... more Abstract In conjunction with global efforts, Israel has committed to promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students’ rights to a safe, affirming learning environment. Given Israeli society’s mostly negative perception of homosexuality as well as the growing role of religious parties in the government, the authors question the extent to which this commitment is realized. Using data from the Israeli School Climate Survey conducted in 2016 (n = 909), this article documents the school experiences of LGBT students. Findings reveal that LGBT students in Israel occasionally hear homophobic remarks in schools, they experience high levels of victimization (verbal, sexual, and physical), and they report limited access to school-based supports. Moreover, school climate varies across communities in Israel. We argue that by avoiding a centralized effort to address homophobic and transphobic bullying and by allowing communities and schools to lead the way, Israel maintains its international standing while limiting its internal conflict.
In this article, I argue that the Queerhana parties held in the early 2000s in Israel can be seen... more In this article, I argue that the Queerhana parties held in the early 2000s in Israel can be seen as queer time-spaces. In the local context, this aspect of the Queerha-nas was deeply subversive not only of the heteronormative order, but also of the homonormative and the homonational. In turn, I argue, that Queerhana offered new spatial forms such as erotic hybrid space, and new temporal concepts such as erotic transcendent time. These configurations offered utopian and futuristic queer embodiments of another possible social life of diversity and coexistence. The discussion contextualizes the Queerhana parties in relation to theories of queer time-space based on content analysis of the parties, as well as interviews with key former party activists.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Israel, 2023
LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other sexual and gender expressions) politics in Israel... more LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and other sexual and gender expressions) politics in Israel are contradictory; at times progressive, and at other times reflecting a reserved liberal policy of delimiting LGBT+ sexualities to the private sphere. Since the turn of the twenty-first century, there have been tremendous gains for LGBT+ people in Israel. These gains were produced and bolstered by neoliberal politics that manifested in a homonational discourse. Homonationalism refers to a politics of normalization through neoliberal notions of consumerism and domestication combined with national assimilation. Although Israeli neoliberal politics have translated into uneven gains for the trans community and others, the trans community continues to experience material disadvantages, violence, and discrimination, and hard-won activist gains are perpetually under threat by the anti-trans coalition. The chapter focuses on activist processes and on two institutional settings – the healthcare and education systems – to further explore privatization processes and individualist perspective on LGBT+ people. This framework is informed by the local understanding of post-homonationalism, reflecting a privatized urban belonging and normativity based on the value LGBT+ people produce for urban spaces rather than on promoting pro-LGBT+ legislation. This, once again, reflects a reserved liberal policy that addresses the specific needs of LGBT+ people while rendering them so specific as not to undermine the policy’s nationalist and homonormative import.
Positive LGBT+ content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environme... more Positive LGBT+ content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environment for all students, particularly LGBT+. However, worldwide evidence shows that textbooks underrepresent LGBT+ issue. A possible explanation for this pattern is that most study topics do not lend themselves for issues related to sexuality and gender. We interrogate this argument by examining the representation of all sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) in 36 state-approved history textbooks for high school in Israel. Utilizing an original standardized coding protocol, we compare representation of queer and hetero-cisgender content. Our findings reveal that textbooks include multiple references to SOGIE across various thematic contexts, yet these are almost exclusively limited to heterosexuality and cisgender persons, while queer sexualities and expressions are marginalized or excluded. We discuss the implications of these problematic patterns for school climate and offer recommendations for incorporating diverse SOGIE content in different study topics in history classes.
Positive LGBT1 content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environme... more Positive LGBT1 content in educational materials promotes a diverse and inclusive school environment for all students, particularly LGBT1. However, worldwide evidence shows that textbooks underrepresent LGBT1 issue. A possible explanation for this pattern is that most study topics do not lend themselves for issues related to sexuality and gender. We interrogate this argument by examining the representation of all sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) in 36 state-approved history textbooks for high school in Israel. Utilizing an original standardized coding protocol, we compare representation of queer and hetero-cisgender content. Our findings reveal that textbooks include multiple references to SOGIE across various thematic contexts, yet these are almost exclusively limited to heterosexuality and cisgender persons, while queer sexualities and expressions are marginalized or excluded. We discuss the implications of these problematic patterns for school climate and offer recommendations for incorporating diverse SOGIE content in different study topics in history classes.
Abstract In conjunction with global efforts, Israel has committed to promoting lesbian, gay, bise... more Abstract In conjunction with global efforts, Israel has committed to promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students’ rights to a safe, affirming learning environment. Given Israeli society’s mostly negative perception of homosexuality as well as the growing role of religious parties in the government, the authors question the extent to which this commitment is realized. Using data from the Israeli School Climate Survey conducted in 2016 (n = 909), this article documents the school experiences of LGBT students. Findings reveal that LGBT students in Israel occasionally hear homophobic remarks in schools, they experience high levels of victimization (verbal, sexual, and physical), and they report limited access to school-based supports. Moreover, school climate varies across communities in Israel. We argue that by avoiding a centralized effort to address homophobic and transphobic bullying and by allowing communities and schools to lead the way, Israel maintains its international standing while limiting its internal conflict.
In this article, I argue that the Queerhana parties held in the early 2000s in Israel can be seen... more In this article, I argue that the Queerhana parties held in the early 2000s in Israel can be seen as queer time-spaces. In the local context, this aspect of the Queerha-nas was deeply subversive not only of the heteronormative order, but also of the homonormative and the homonational. In turn, I argue, that Queerhana offered new spatial forms such as erotic hybrid space, and new temporal concepts such as erotic transcendent time. These configurations offered utopian and futuristic queer embodiments of another possible social life of diversity and coexistence. The discussion contextualizes the Queerhana parties in relation to theories of queer time-space based on content analysis of the parties, as well as interviews with key former party activists.
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Papers by Avner Rogel