Intersectionality of place and race: entrepreneurial performance of Arab citizens of Israel

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to understand how Arab entrepreneurs in Israel redress the disadvantage of the intersectionality of place and race by setting up their businesses in markets beyond their ethnic enclaves as well as by pursuing opportunity entrepreneurship and the role human values play in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the portrait value questionnaire, a survey of Arab entrepreneurs in Israel was conducted. Multiple linear regressions were run to generate the findings.

Findings

The authors find that educated and non-conforming Arab men in Israel, driven by stimulation and universalism, successfully neutralise the intersectional disadvantage of place and race through entrepreneurship.

Research limitations/implications

Care is advised in the generalisation of findings of this research to other intersectional communities as they emerge from the unique context of Arab entrepreneurs in Israel.

Practical implications

Education, stimulation and universalism facilitate entrepreneurial success beyond Arab ethnic enclaves whereas conformity suppresses it.

Social implications

With the right attributes and values, marginalised individuals can emerge from the disadvantage of the intersectionality of place and race.

Originality/value

The study advances the intersectionality discourse from “what it is” and “what it does” to “what can be done about it”. It identifies the attributes and values that help Arab entrepreneurs in Israel to remedy their intersectional disadvantage.

Citation

Said, I.S. and Vyas, V. (2025), "Intersectionality of place and race: entrepreneurial performance of Arab citizens of Israel", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 53-79. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-07-2022-0615