Socializing children under fire: Western women and Palestinian men

This paper is based on a study of Palestinian intermarried families (Palestinian men married to American and European women) residing in Palestinian cities of the W est Bank. Specifically, it addresses the interface of cultural adaptation and the socialization of children ("children socialization") in the midst of political conflict. Cultural adaptation strategies were typified by the extent to which each spouse embraces the partner's culture, while children socialization patterns were typified according to dominant cultural setting chosen by the family. The findings show that parental choices of cultural adaptation were reflected in the ways they chose to socialize their children. Conflicts over children socialization occurred only when the parents opted for opposing cultural adaptation styles. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was found to influence parents' cultural adaptation and children socialization, deepening existing conflicts and cultural differences within the family.