Women in Bedouin Communities in Israel’s Negev Desert

Women in Bedouin communities in Israel’s Negev desert

A selection of pictures from an on-going study of Bedouin women who live in the Negev desert in Israel. Some of these pictures have been exhibited in London (Spiro Ark).

Women at Work

The weavers are participants in the Lakiya Negev Weaving project set up in 1991 to balance womens economic development and greater independence with their more traditional role in the family.

Living amongst the ruins

Roughly half the Bedouin people in the Negev desert live in ‘unrecognised’ villages deemed ‘illegal’ by the Israeli government. As a consequence, their dwellings are regularly demolished.

Weddings

Traditionally, many women find themselves in polygamous relationships. The choice of a husband is quite often the exclusive right of the father and on many occasions, the bride may meet her future husband for the first time during the wedding celebration.

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