@article {27661,
	title = {What happens when forced migrants and transit state actors meet? Encounters at decision nodal points during the migration journey},
	journal = {Comparative Migration Studies},
	volume = {13},
	year = {2025},
	pages = {46},
	abstract = {\&nbsp;This study investigates the interactions of forced migrants with state actors in transit countries at critical decision nodal points (DNPs) along their journey{\textemdash} defined as turning points where migrants make decisions about resuming mobility or altering the course of their journey. Granted official legal power by the state, transit state actors operate on the ground in various ways using their power. Nevertheless, their roles in the decision-making as experienced by forced migrants have been studied very little. We examine the journey narratives of forced migrants originating from Eritrea and Sudan. We quantitatively identify and analyze spaces of mobility, immobility and DNPs, within their trajectories. The findings demonstrate that state actors in transit countries can serve as integral and concrete journey components that shape migration outcomes. The study concludes by presenting two insights into (i) the directionality of influence (enabling versus halting journey plans) and (ii) the encounter space (direct-official spaces versus indirect spaces).\&nbsp;\&nbsp;},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-025-00469-5},
	author = {Moshe, Netta and Miodownik, Dan and Shenhav, Shaul}
}
@article {27649,
	title = {Spontaneous Contact and Social Resilience Following the Eruption of Interethnic Violence in Ethnically Mixed Settings},
	journal = {Conflict Resolution Quarterly},
	year = {2025},
	month = {2025},
	abstract = {This study examines the role of spontaneous intergroup contact in fostering social resilience in ethnically mixed urban settings, focusing on Israeli mixed cities. Based on a survey conducted in September 2021 involving 944 residents of diverse city types and a university survey of Jewish and Palestinian students, it explores the extent to which unmediated, unplanned interactions (spontaneous contact) among individuals from different ethnic and social backgrounds predicts their ability to cope with and recover from outbreaks of ethnic violence. Key findings indicate that residents of mixed cities show more favorable attitudes towards outgroup members than those in homogeneous cities, suggesting that spontaneous contact reduces prejudice. The study reveals a correlation between higher social proximity to outgroup members and lower levels of tension during periods of conflict. Unexpectedly, a decrease in social proximity among university students was observed over the course of an academic year, potentially due to the eruption of interethnic violence. However, students who experience frequent spontaneous contact displayed greater resilience, maintaining positive attitudes amidst conflict. This research underscores the significance of spontaneous contact in mixed cities and heterogeneous environments in promoting social resilience and a sense of coexistence. It suggests that everyday interactions in diverse environments are crucial for managing and mitigating the impacts of intergroup tensions and conflicts.},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21490},
	author = {Nitzan Faibish and Ifat Maoz and Paz Yaacov and Miodownik, Dan}
}
@article {27510,
	title = {Who will protect our human rights? Cities, states, and ethnicity},
	journal = {Journal of Urban Affairs},
	year = {2025},
	month = {2025},
	abstract = {\&nbsp;The ongoing questions that ethno-nationally divided urban communities face concerning human rights are often exacerbated by large-scale events that challenge everyday local dynamics, such as wars and pandemics. This study, situated within discussions concerning the "localization" of human rights, explores what\&nbsp;factors\&nbsp;lead\&nbsp;city-zens (citizens of the city)\&nbsp;to pin expectations of safeguarding human rights on the local authority, focusing on urban identity, ethno-national identity, and the city{\textquoteright}s ethno-national heterogeneity.\&nbsp;We explore Israel{\textquoteright}s homogeneous and mixed (Jewish-Palestinian) cities, wherein city-zens navigate their conflicting identities amidst eruptions of the long-standing conflict, as demonstrated by its latest escalation in October 2023. Drawing on an original survey and in-depth interviews, we find that urban identity is associated with city-zens{\textquoteright} expectations that their city will safeguard human rights, particularly among the (Jewish) majority in mixed cities. We further divide urban identity into legal and social dimensions, elucidating its role in shaping local perspectives on human rights in ethno-nationally conflicted societies.\&nbsp;},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2024.2447346},
	author = {Gil Shaham-Maymon, Dan Miodownik}
}
@article {27243,
	title = {Urban Identity VS. National Identity in the Global City: Evidence from Six European Cities},
	journal = {European Journal of Political Research},
	volume = {64},
	number = {2},
	year = {2025},
	pages = {580-598},
	abstract = {\&nbsp;This study explores the prioritization of urban identity over national identity in the context of the global city. Scholars have extensively discussed the fragmentation of national identity among individuals in the globalized world, and the relative proliferation of other communal identities, whether more cosmopolitan or place-based. As globalization gradually erodes the cultural distinctiveness of nation states, cities are revealed as arenas within which inhabitants nurture a particular collective character, which is used as an attractive source of local, communal belonging. Global cities, in particular, are a compelling case to inquire into the interplay between national and urban identity. Due to their relative independence vis-{\`a}-vis the state, the global city can promote the values shared by inhabitants while constituting significant competition for nation-based self-determination and providing a unique source of urban identity that is simultaneously cosmopolitan and place-based.In this paper we ask whether city-zens living in highly globalized cities are more likely to prioritize their urban identity over their national identity. Utilizing the GaWC Index of cities{\textquoteright} globalization levels, we analyze the results of an original survey conducted among residents of six European cities: Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Utrecht and Glasgow. Our empirical evidence supports the hypothesis that in globalized cities a higher level of globalism accords with a more explicit tendency to prioritize urban identity over national identity. In conclusion, we interpret this evidence as an identities trade-off that challenges the coexistence of urban and national identities within globalized cities, discussing its implications for future studies of contemporary politics.\&nbsp;},
	url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12700},
	author = {Gil Shaham-Maymon, Noam Brenner, Paz Yaacov, Dan Miodownik}
}
