Two weeks ago, I published a research paper Ethnic Divisions Within Unity: Insights into Intra-Group Segregation from Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Society. It is my first paper in so many aspects
- First paper in a long while
- first paper I authored by myself
- first paper in social studies (I’m a former pharmacist, remember)
I have a confession to make. When I concluded the research phase, I stumbled upon an open question that I couldn’t answer. I really wanted to publish what I already had, so instead of trying to deemphasize the problem or write far-fetched theories, I decided to put the problem under a spotlight and declare it loud and clear, emphasizing that this publication is a chance to deal with publication bias — a phenomenon that leads scientific journals to favor positive or significant findings while neglecting studies that yield negative or inconclusive results.
This is not the end
Once the paper got published, I recalled that a sizable audience of my podcast (This Week in the Middle East) belongs to the Haredi society - the society that was the subject of my study. I recorded a video presentation (here: it’s in Hebrew), asking my podcast audience to share their inner knowledge and propose explanations. What do you know? I got several very interesting ones - that will serve as the basis for further research.
THE END