Abstract

The use of international curricula by minority diaspora communities poses a paradox for the construction of student identities that juxtaposes ethnonational and global discourses. Positioned in the throes of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the Armenian School in Jerusalem utilizes a global curriculum while also attempting to sustain collective Armenian identity among its students, who study four languages. This ethnographic case study of the Armenian School analyzes the impact of competing discourses on identity construction. Findings reveal a pervasive ethnonational discourse based upon key ethnosymbols which promotes a powerful sense of belonging to an imagined Armenian transnation. Simultaneously, the international curriculum champions English as a dominant language and prevents the anchoring of Armenian identity within local society. Global discourses associated with the international curriculum, coupled with a lack of attachment to a concrete homeland, tend to orient graduates away from the Jerusalem community and toward opportunities abroad.

摘要

散居在国外的少数民族社区使用国际课程构成了将民族和全球话语并置的学生身份建构悖论。耶路撒冷的亚美尼亚学校处于以巴冲突的痛苦中，它采用全球课程，同时也试图维持其亚美尼亚学生的集体身份，他们学习四种语言。亚美尼亚学校的民族志案例研究分析了竞争性话语对身份建构的影响。调查结果揭示了基于主要民族符号的普遍的民族民族话语，这种话语促进了人们对想象中的亚美尼亚跨界的强烈归属感。同时，国际课程主张将英语作为一种主要语言，并防止亚美尼亚身份在当地社会中扎根。