CONFLICT AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE CASE OF AN ISRAELI VILLAGE1

SHLOMO A. DESHEN*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Some aspects of a village of immigrants from the island of Djerba (Tunisia) in Israel are described. The village is of the moshav type where Israeli authorities endeavour to transform immigrant groups into cooperative farming communities, a situation of directed change. The particular village under discussion poses a sociological question: although efforts to introduce agriculture have largely failed, the villagers have congregated into a tightly‐knit community reminiscent of the ideal moshav. Such a combination is not usual on the Israeli immigrant moshav scene. The empirical findings are discussed in terms of conflict between the agents of change and their objects, the villagers. The analysis points out that such conflict is latent in a situation of directed change because of the basic duality of agents and objects of change, which implies efforts of the former to change accepted custom of the latter. The eruption of actual conflict as well as its precise nature depends on the particular case. The paper demonstrates the relevance of an analys of the relations between agents and objects of change, to a fuller understanding of the effects of projects of directed change upon a community. It is suggested that these relations have ramified effects; their study is proposed as a fruitful approach in research on directed change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)31-55
Number of pages25
JournalSociologia Ruralis
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1966

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