Preface

Abstract

The concept of work plays a central role in feminist thought. It appears, for example, in discussing inequality between men and women in the labor market, barriers to labor market participation, wage differences, etc. Yet feminist discourse has rarely examined the experience of (wo)men in the labor market, and has only paid passing attention to the point of view of marginalised women, i.e. women who belong to groups located socially and ethnically on the margins.

This issue of Hagar is dedicated to the concept of work from feminist perspectives. It examines the context of class, ethnic and the national groups of different women in relation to work. The issue seeks to expand the concept of work through studies that highlight labour from different perspectives, for example: the connection between faith and work in Inbal Cicurel's article that explores the meaning of "God's work"; in Einat Lachover's article, that tries to answer the question "why women can't have it all?"; and in the grey space of Sigal Nagar-Ron, that examines the connection between peripheral space and work.

The articles included in this issue of Hagar indicate the multifaceted abundance of research on the social margins of Israelis. The fact that this issue grew at feminist forum of Sapir College is not coincidental; this platform has allowed researchers and scholars in their early academic course to discuss and expose communities and groups on the social margins, and to challenge the concept of work. The outcome of this workshop is to study the diversity of the articles included in this issue, a variety that grew out of two years of thorough research, and with the participation of scholars in various disciplines. These scholars brought with them knowledge, experience and insights that enriched the debate and contributed to development of different perspectives to the concept of work.

As the editors of Hagar, we found that the richness of the discussions from the Forum, the diversity of perspective and the significant connections made between the concepts of marginality, peripherality and "otherness" are central themes that our journal seeks to promote. We hope that reading this challenging issue will be as enriching and fruitful as it was to edit it. We would like to thank the Feminist Forum of Sapir College for this laudable initiative.