Settling for Less: The Planned Resettlement of Israel's Negev Bedouin

"This is an excellent study of an important and timely topic that is of relevance not only for the people involved but for the wider areas of Israel and the Arab world. It is a comprehensive detailed description and analysis of a process of change and transformation that started in 1948 and continues until the present." · Donald AbdAllah Cole, The American University in Cairo

"The author is a geographer interested in town planning, who also has a solid grounding in anthropology. Two things make the book very attractive: that it is totally focused on town planning, and that the fieldwork was spread out over a decade which permitted the author to concentrate on the frequent changes in the plans and in their implementation." · Emanuel Marx, Tel Aviv University

The resettlement of the Negev Bedouin (Israel) has been wrought with controversy since its inception in the 1960s. Presenting evidence from a two-decade period, the author addresses how the changes that took place over the past sixty to seventy years have served the needs and interests of the State rather than those of Bedouin community at large. While town living fostered improvements in social and economic development, numerous unintended consequences jeopardized the success of this planning initiative. As a result, the Bedouin community endured excessive hardship and rapid change, abandoning its nomadic lifestyle and traditions in response to the economic, political, and social pressure from the State-and received very little in return.

Steven C. Dinero is Associate Professor of Human Geography at Philadelphia University. He has published extensively on such topics as community planning and development, gender, identity formation, religion, education, and tourism in post-nomadic environments. His recent work addresses the impacts of globalization and climate change upon indigenous peoples, and the role of new technologies in helping such communities respond and adapt to these environmental challenges.