Ethnicity or class? Mizrahi students from the periphery describe their path to higher education

This article explores how Mizrahi students from Israel's periphery, first-generation students of higher education, describe the meaning of the categories of ethnicity and periphery on their path to academe. The data were drawn from in-depth interviews with 25 students, born to two Mizrahi parents, who grew up in the country's periphery. The findings indicate clearly that the ethnic-Mizrahi discourse has been replaced by a class-periphery discourse. They also show that the main agent of the students' acquisition of quality pre-academic education and higher education was not school but rather the parents.

Automated summary

The study found that Mizrahi students from Israel's periphery are more focused on class and region rather than ethnic discourse. Additionally, the research showed that the main driving force behind students' acquisition of quality pre-academic education and higher education comes from parents, not schools.