Urban Populations on the Desert Fringes: Intersections of Nature, Culture, and Leisure

Conveners: Emir Galilee, BGU, & Havatzelet Yahel, BGU

This session delves into the evolving connections between urbanizing populations in desert regions and their interactions with nature and leisure activities. As communities in deserts undergo urban transitions, significant shifts emerge in their relationships with the environment, cultural identity, and leisure practices. The session brings together four research that examine these transformations from diverse perspectives, including heritage, social mobility, and environmental engagement.
The study of Arnon Ben Israel delves into cycling patterns among urban Bedouins, with a focus on how social norms, cultural identity, and inadequate infrastructure impact mobility and access to resources, particularly for women. Emir Galilee’s research on leisure and domestic tourism among the Bedouin in Lahav Forest reveals the forest’s role as a neutral, enabling space, free from internal social constraints. Havatzelet Yahel explores outdoor education programs for Bedouin youth in the Negev Desert, aiming to reintroduce desert-oriented experiences to reconnect youth with their ancestral heritage and values. Complementing these studies is a comparative perspective on the UAE’s relationship with the desert, a critical element of its geography and national identity. This research by Moran Zaga and Niv Ben Ze’ev highlights the UAE’s evolving approach to balancing rapid modernization with desert preservation, integrating desert landscapes within urban areas while grappling with tensions between traditional cultural symbols and modern development ideals.