"This movie is me" : content and identity among religious youth in Israel, as reflected in films created as part of cinema and media studies in religious high schools between 1994–2022 (Hebrew)

This study examines films created by students majoring in communication and cinema in the religious state education system (Hemed) in Israel. The study explored evidence of changes in the content of the films, in the perception of structure and content of the personal identity of religious youth. It also examines the relationship between the personal identity narratives compared to the narratives in Religious Zionist society as these are reflected in the films.
The basic premise of the research is that the films reflect a unique prism of the core questions of identity that preoccupy the religious youth and the filmmaker's choice to share their uncertainties, prompted by a desire to create a dialogue with the audience. (Fleetwood 2005; Halverson, 2010). The study examined the films made by youth, over a period of twenty-eight years of filmmaking, and the changes that took place in them over the years, which also indicate the changes in society. The psychological models of the identity structure appearing in the films were examined, and the models of the interrelationship between the main identity narrative accepted in Religious Zionist society, and the personal identity narrative in the films.
The study hypotheses are based on research approaches that describe global changes that have taken place in the way identity has been constructed in recent decades in the transition between a period with modern characteristics (Marcia, 1958, 1963, 1966, 1980; Erikson, 1968) and a period with postmodern characteristics (Gergen 1991; Lifton, 1993; Schachter, 2004; Waterman, 2015). In the analysis of narrative structures, the study is based on the works of Spector-Mersel (2008), and Bamberg (2004), who deal with the construction of identity by means of a personal narrative through stories or films (Halverson, 2010), and the works of Spector-Mersel (2008), Zilber, Tuval-Mashiach, and Lieblich (2008), McLean & Syed (2015), who discuss the influence of society on the way an individual's identity is formed, by a determination of the main narrative accepted in society.
Therefore, the first main goal of our study is to contribute to the field of identity development theories, and is based on these theories that discuss identity structures and personal and master narratives and the change that has occurred in the theories over the years. Our aim is to demonstrate the theories, with the help of analyzing psychological
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models reflected in the youth films. Additionally, through the creation of indicators, we will empirically examine the identity structures and the relationships of the personal and master narratives in the films, and the change that has occurred in them over the years. Our research is also based on the study of changes that have occurred in Religious Zionist society in recent decades (Gad-el-Nasi, 2005; Kaplan, 2017; Schwartz, 2018). Accordingly, the second main goal of our research is in the field of studying the Religious Zionist society, and is concerned with demonstrating the changes that have taken place in the social and cultural contents of this society, as they are reflected in the films of the religious youth.
In addition to these goals, the analysis of the films also allows to contribute to other important aspects, and these were marked as ancillary goals of the study. As a result of an in-depth analysis of the films, it is possible to open a window into the emotional world of teenagers who belong to the Religious Zionist society and the developmental challenges that characterize them. In addition, we would like to direct the focus of academic research to the film work of the youth, as a unique, powerful tool of expression, for studying and understanding the world of the youth.
The study examined, for the first time, the film archive of the Hemed system, which encompasses some 350 final project films made by high school students majoring in Communication and Cinema, which were included as part of the "Young Creation" competition of religious education films throughout the research period. The examination of the trends and changes was done using mixed methods research, both qualitative and quantitative. The content, the identity structure, and the relationships between the narratives were analyzed through qualitative content analysis (Bryman 2001; Shakdi, 2003, 2011), and also included semiotic and intertextual approaches (Baldry & Thibault 2006, McKee, 2005) and by using the case study method for an in-depth analysis of the category "family", as representing the changes in the content and structure of identity that occurred across the research period (Robinson & McAdams, 2015).
For the purpose of examining the identity structure in the films, models describing the identity structure were identified, focusing on the extent to which the conflict was contained and resolved as an expression of the identity structure (Halverson, 2010).An index of the various models was constructed which was used to code the films as an ordinal variable. A quantitative analysis was performed to examine the connection between the time of creation and the identity model. Similarly, models were identified that describe the interrelationship
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between the personal narrative and the main narrative, identifying the personal narrative represented by the main protagonist of the film, and the main narrative, expressed through the representative of society in the film (McLean & Syed, 2015). An index was constructed to describe the relationship between the narratives, and with it, the films were coded as an ordinal variable. A quantitative analysis was performed to examine the connection between the time of creation and the relationship between the narratives. Finally, based on the findings of these analyses, a quantitative analysis was made to examine the connection between the main vs. personal narrative relationships and the identity model.
The research findings show that the films present conflicts that bring to light the inner world of the filmmakers and characterize the youth in Religious Zionist society and the transformations that have taken place in it (Goodman, 2006; Schachter et al.,2006). In a preliminary analysis, the films were divided according to their content into the following categories: 'family', 'ideology', 'religious identity', and 'sexuality'.
The first research question dealt with the content and structure of identity, and the trends characterizing them. In terms of the identity model in the films, four models of identity structure were found in the films and an index was constructed, with which the films were also examined as an ordinal variable, according to the degree of openness of the identity model:
A. Identity decided, without presenting a conflict (A)
B. Identity decided after presentation of conflict. The conflict is resolved unilaterally (B)
C. Open identity. The conflict is unresolved. (C)
D. Open identity, The conflict is contained. (D)
The analysis of the films showed that there is a trend in development across the years of the film archive, and it can be divided into two main periods, early and later. A change was found between the periods. In the early period, most films are characterized by a decided identity that is expressed in a dichotomous resolution of the conflict. In the later period, there is a gradual transition to presenting a more open identity structure, a conflict that remains unresolved and even with the possibility of containing it. This finding of the change in the identity structure over the years is also supported by the quantitative analysis. A significant connection was found between the time of creation of the films (for the sake of the statistical analysis, the research years were divided into groups of five years each) and the type of identity model. In the early period, there was a high prevalence of decided
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models of type A and B, and in the later period, a high prevalence of open identity models of type C and D. In addition, a general trend of change was found in the content of identity and their development over the years, and this accords with the literature dealing with the Religious Zionist society and the transformations that took place in it. (Brandes, 2021; Gross 2019; Schwartz, 2018). For the discussion of content, the category of 'the family' was chosen, using the case study method.It was found that in the early period, most of the content of the films convey a conservative, cautious worldview, whereas in the later period, there is a preoccupation with difficult questions and new issues appear that were not presented in the early period. There was also a trend towards escalation: the conflicts are more difficult, and the treatment they are given is more complex.
The second research question deals with the relationships between the personal vs. main narratives and was tested using mixed methods analysis. Three models were found for the types of relationships between the narratives in the films, creating an index according to which the films were also examined as an ordinal variable, from a model of identification and convergence to a model of a multiplicity of narratives:
A. Truth: identification of the personal narrative with the main narrative, or convergence with it.
B. Fracture: split or opposition between the personal narrative and the main narrative, without giving legitimacy to the personal narrative.
C. Multiplicity: positioning the personal narrative as a legitimate option in addition to the main narrative.
Here, too, a significant connection was found between the time the films were made and the model of relationships between narratives. There is a development and a transition from a high prevalence of the model of narrative relationships describing identification and convergence (truth) in the early period, to a high prevalence of a model describing the legitimization of the personal narrative (multiplicity) in the later period.
Finally, a crosscheck was made between the findings of the identity model and the findings of the personal vs. main narrative relationships. The quantitative analysis shows a significant connection between the two and suggests the reciprocal influence between the identity model and the narratives that prevail in society. The development of the individual from a decided, closed identity to an open identity that contains conflicts becomes possible
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by virtue of the changes that have taken place in the narratives and perceptions of society yet at the same time also creates the changes.
In conclusion, the research questions dealt with two components: the content and structure of identity, and the relationship of the personal narrative to the main narrative accepted in Religious Zionist society. The findings bring to light the trends and changes that have taken place over the years, in openness to dealing with challenging content and even escalating it. Evidence was found of a transition from a decided, modern identity model to a complex, diffuse, postmodern identity model, and a transition from a model of identification and convergence of the personal narrative with the main narrative, to a model of multiple narratives and legitimization of additional voices within the social space.
The importance of this research is that it is pioneering in its field. Many studies deal with the formation of identity and the relationship between narratives. The Religious Zionist society has also been studied a lot and extensive literature has been written about it. However, a study that examines the inner world and identity of the religious youth through their cinematic work, as an individual within a society over the years has not yet been done. Religious youth films are a new field of research and entering it may yield diverse insights. The analysis of the films helps to demonstrate the theoretical ideas that appear in the literature. The findings of the research confirm and demonstrate in a vivid and tangible way what we know from research theories and are evidence of changes in the content and structure of identity in the inner world of the religious youth in particular, and changes in the Religious Zionist society revealed through their works. And in drawing attention to the cinematic creation as a unique tool that provides a view of the conflicts, identity tensions and heart murmurs as they themselves present in their films.
The contribution of this study is based on the organization of the film archive of religious education, the definition of indicators and the demonstration of research theories from the fields of identity development and Religious Zionist society in youth films. Our hope is that our research will be a basis for further research in other fields on identity, narratives, religion, culture and society.