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.

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 factors lead city-zens (citizens of the city) to pin expectations of safeguarding human rights on the local authority, focusing on urban identity, ethno-national identity, and the city's ethno-national heterogeneity. We explore Israel'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' 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. 

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-à-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’ 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.