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Numerical diversity only? The case of academic preparatory programs for the Negev Bedouin in Israel.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Numerical diversity only? The case of academic preparatory programs for the Negev Bedouin in Israel.
Authors: Kedem-Sneor, Adi1 (AUTHOR) Adiked@post.bgu.ac.il, Abu-Rabia-Queder, Sarab1 (AUTHOR)
Source: British Journal of Sociology of Education. Jun2026, Vol. 47 Issue 4, p732-748. 17p.
Subject Terms: *Diversity & inclusion policies, *Academic programs, *Higher education, Institutional racism, Minorities, Bedouins, Critical race theory
Geographic Terms: Israel
Abstract: This study critically examines the paradoxes embedded within diversity policies in Israeli higher education, with a focus on Academic Preparatory Programmes for the Bedouin population. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and Phillips's expanded multilevel framework of institutional racism, the research demonstrates how such programmes, while nominally designed to increase minority representation, fail to address the broader systemic inequalities rooted in discriminatory state policies. Based on interviews with 21 Bedouin students and graduates, the study reveals that numerical inclusion does not equate to genuine integration. Instead, participants experience symbolic inclusion within institutions that remain structurally exclusionary. The findings highlight how racism operates across macro, meso, and micro levels to reproduce inequality, even under the guise of diversity. The study contributes to critical scholarship on diversity by exposing the mechanisms through which inequality is maintained and by calling for anti-racist, structurally transformative approaches to inclusion in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:This study critically examines the paradoxes embedded within diversity policies in Israeli higher education, with a focus on Academic Preparatory Programmes for the Bedouin population. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and Phillips's expanded multilevel framework of institutional racism, the research demonstrates how such programmes, while nominally designed to increase minority representation, fail to address the broader systemic inequalities rooted in discriminatory state policies. Based on interviews with 21 Bedouin students and graduates, the study reveals that numerical inclusion does not equate to genuine integration. Instead, participants experience symbolic inclusion within institutions that remain structurally exclusionary. The findings highlight how racism operates across macro, meso, and micro levels to reproduce inequality, even under the guise of diversity. The study contributes to critical scholarship on diversity by exposing the mechanisms through which inequality is maintained and by calling for anti-racist, structurally transformative approaches to inclusion in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:01425692
DOI:10.1080/01425692.2025.2609175