"My love of art presents me with a daily dilemma": The Professional Identity of Haredi Art Teachers in Ultra-Orthodox High Schools for Girls

ABSTRACT: The adoption of modern values has constituted a challenge in traditional societies. This includes the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community in Israel, which has experienced change in a number of domains, particularly in education and employment. This case study examines the situation of women art teachers in Haredi schools who must contend with the conflict between educational materials in the modern world and the ideological framework of ultra-Orthodox society. Using Foucault's concept of a "transparent surveillance" mechanism, by which the subject internalizes the gaze to the point where it becomes invisible yet ever-present, this study explores the dilemmas of these teachers and their professional identity, in ways that are relevant beyond the ultra-Orthodox world. The research is based on a qualitative content analysis of interviews with a group of art teachers in the ultra-Orthodox secondary school system, in which art is a relatively new subject. The findings indicate that these teachers, whether consciously or unconsciously, develop a complex identity in response to their professional challenges and conflicts. Accordingly, they employ a variety of strategies to function as dual agents—of both preservation and change—as they straddle the line between tradition and modernity. The findings challenge Foucauldian perspectives by demonstrating that these intersecting mechanisms of transparent surveillance, rather than merely constraining agency, paradoxically create spaces for strategic negotiation and resistance. In some cases, their agency is enacted without full awareness of its broader implications.