Oren Yiftachel

For Oren Yiftachel, the notion of ethnocracy suggests a political regime that facilitates expansion and control by a dominant ethnicity in contested lands. It is neither democratic nor authoritarian, with rights and capabilities depending primarily on ethnic origin and geographic location. In Ethnocracy: Land and Identity Politics in Israel/Palestine, he presents a new critical theory and comparative framework to account for the political geography of ethnocratic societies. According to Yiftachel, the primary manifestation of ethnocracy in Israel/Palestine has been a concerted strategy by the state of "Judaization." Yiftachel's book argues that ethnic relations—both between Jews and Palestinians, and among ethno-classes within each nation—have been shaped by the diverse aspects of the Judaization project and by resistance to that dynamic. Special place is devoted to the analysis of ethnically mixed cities and to the impact of Jewish immigration and settlement on collective identities. Tracing the dynamics of territorial and ethnic conflicts between Jews and Palestinians, Yiftachel examines the consequences of settlement, land, development, and planning policies. He assesses Israel's recent partial liberalization and the emergence of what he deems a "creeping apartheid" whereby increasingly impregnable ethnic, geographic, and economic barriers develop between groups vying for recognition, power, and resources. The book ends with an exploration of future scenarios, including the introduction of new agendas, such as binationalism and multiculturalism.

Land and Identity Politics in Israel/Palestine

Ethnocracy

"The idea for editing this book originated during an international conference titled ""Regional Development: The Challenge of the Frontier,"" held in December 1993 at the Dead Sea and which was organized by the Negev Center for Regional Development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. In this conference we noticed that little has been said about the impact of Israel's complex mosaic of ethnic groups on the shaping of the country's social and spatial frontiers. We have therefore endeavored to bring together a number of perspectives on the evolution of ethnic frontiers in Israel and the role they play in shaping the cultural landscape of this country. Yet we later realized that ""frontier"" is too limited a term, and that it may through various processes have turned into a mosaic of spatial, social, economic, and political peripheries. More specifically we attempted to present the process of frontier development as perceived by Israel's ethnic and national minorities. We therefore invited contributions from various other Israeli experts on these issues: geographers, sociologists, anthropologists, and political scientists, which have now become the main body of chapters in this book. We trust that they are representative of the main dimensions of the subject."

Landscapes Of Development And Inequality In Israel

Ethnic Frontiers And Peripheries

Jo Little

Ian Alexander

David Hedgcock

The book addresses critically the question: "What is the societal impact of urban and regional planning?". It begins with a theoretical discussion and then analyses, through a series of case studies, the intentions, contents, struggles and consequences of urban and regional planning. It shows that plans and policies often defy the commonly perceived role of advancing equality, justice, development and amenity, by causing social problems, marginalisation and inequalities. The book looks at planning from a critical distance, without a priori belief in its necessity or usefulness. The 12 chapters, written by renowned international scholars, demonstrate the multiplicity of social and political struggles over the contested terrain of spatial policies. The book focuses on four key areas where the impact of planning is explored: the community power, gender relations, ethnic tensions, and social polarisation, while comparing three societies: Australia, Israel and England. Audience: This volume is mainly intended for faculty and students of academia, but also for urban professionals and policy-makers. The book is relevant to fields such as urban and regional planning, geography, political science, urban studies, urban sociology, urban anthropology, ethnic and gender relations.

Spaces of Control and Transformation

The Power of Planning

Alexandre Kedar

Ahmad Amara

Introduction : terra nullius in Zion? -- The legal geography of indigenous Bedouin dispossession -- The land regime of the late Ottoman period -- The land regime of the Bristish Mandate period -- Making the "dead Negev doctrine" during the Israeli period -- Historical geography of the Negev : Bedouin agriculture -- Bedouin territory and settlements -- The Bedouin as an indigenous community -- International law, indigenous land rights and Israel -- Contested futures -- State and Bedouin policies and plans

A Legal Geography of Bedouin Rights in the Negev

Emptied Lands

Noga Kadman

"Hundreds of Palestinian villages were left empty across Israel when their residents became refugees after the 1948 war. Most of these villages were razed by the new State of Israel, their lands and property confiscated, but in dozens of others, communities of Jews were settled--many refugees in their own right. The state embarked upon a systematic effort of renaming and remaking the landscape, and the Arab presence was erased from official maps and histories. While most Israelis are familiar with the walls, ruins, and gardens that mark these sites today--almost half are located within tourist areas or national parks--they are unaware that Arab communities existed there within living memory. Using official documents, kibbutz publications, and visits to the former village sites, Noga Kadman reconstructs this history of erasure for all 418 depopulated villages. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and contemporary Israeli society"--Provided by publisher.

Oren Yiftachel

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