Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

In Israel, higher education is a meeting point between groups who were mostly segregated previously. Students come from a divided K-12 system, originate from different socio-economic surroundings in varying distances from social-economic-geographic centers, and are immigrants or from immigrant families. Encounters and diversity de-facto occur in a rapidly expanding academic system lacking clear and consistent diversity traditions and policies. A paradoxical reality emerges where diversity is “owned” when it proves valuable, and “disowned” when challenging. The paper explains national intervention patterns in student composition, situating them in a complex, multi-dimensional context of economic and social policy logics pushing and pulling in different directions; three policy levels – perceptions, policy and implementation practices – not always fully aligned; national, institutional and departmental policy arenas; and top-down and bottom-up policy initiatives. I examined national policies between 1990-2015, using policy documents and interviews with policy makers, inspired by post-structural traditions and by policy discourse analysis. This research holds theoretical, empirical and practical implications. It defines diversity as a perception and policy, alongside a practice. It situates diversity policies in Israel within a broader theoretical and international context and offers analytical tools for realizing the value of student diversity while transitioning from policy to practice.