Page 40 - Pelc, Stanko, and Miha Koderman, eds., 2016. Regional development, sustainability, and marginalization. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 40
ional development, sustainability, and marginalization 38 Key words: environmental marginality, unsustainable development,
marginalization
Multiculturalism and ethnographic museums in Israel:
The case of a regional Bedouin Museum
Ruth Kark, Havazelet Yahel, and Noam Perry
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
This paper considers multiculturalism in Israeli society and its ex-
pression in museums. It showcases one regional museum that pre-
sents two different cultures in the Negev in Southern Israel. We
begin by posing the question of whether Israel represents a multi-
cultural society. Given the many museums in Israel and the rise of
ethnographic museums in the previous three decades, we suggest
that these museums tend to present Israeli culture as ethnocen-
tric rather than multicultural, reflecting ethnic re-awakening rath-
er than the »melting pot« envisaged by the founders of the State.
An examination of ethnocentric museums in Israel reveals two ma-
jor categories, with different functions and goals: museums repre-
senting Jewish ethnic groups and museums representing non-Jew-
ish cultural groups. Many museums that represent Palestinian and
Bedouin communities stress their deep roots in the land, disputing
the narratives represented by many museums of Jewish settlement.
Regional or local museums add a third category, which integrates
different ethnic groups. Our case study, a museum of the Bedouin,
part of the Joe Alon Center for Regional Studies, aims to reflect
multi-ethnic and multicultural societies within the Negev. This task
placed it a priori in a challenging complex and controversial posi-
tion, attempting to navigate between two different narratives. We
explore how the museum evolved through the years, presenting
the different identities, and discuss its efforts to create a bridge be-
tween Jews and Bedouins within the Negev’s polarized population.
While museums in Israel can play a constructive role in nurturing
mutual respect for cultural diversity, at the same time, the displays
may serve to widen rather than bridge the gaps between compet-
ing national narratives and promote ethnocentricity
Key words: Multiculturalism, Israeli society, Israeli museums, Israeli
ethnographic and regional museums, Negev Bedouin
marginalization
Multiculturalism and ethnographic museums in Israel:
The case of a regional Bedouin Museum
Ruth Kark, Havazelet Yahel, and Noam Perry
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
This paper considers multiculturalism in Israeli society and its ex-
pression in museums. It showcases one regional museum that pre-
sents two different cultures in the Negev in Southern Israel. We
begin by posing the question of whether Israel represents a multi-
cultural society. Given the many museums in Israel and the rise of
ethnographic museums in the previous three decades, we suggest
that these museums tend to present Israeli culture as ethnocen-
tric rather than multicultural, reflecting ethnic re-awakening rath-
er than the »melting pot« envisaged by the founders of the State.
An examination of ethnocentric museums in Israel reveals two ma-
jor categories, with different functions and goals: museums repre-
senting Jewish ethnic groups and museums representing non-Jew-
ish cultural groups. Many museums that represent Palestinian and
Bedouin communities stress their deep roots in the land, disputing
the narratives represented by many museums of Jewish settlement.
Regional or local museums add a third category, which integrates
different ethnic groups. Our case study, a museum of the Bedouin,
part of the Joe Alon Center for Regional Studies, aims to reflect
multi-ethnic and multicultural societies within the Negev. This task
placed it a priori in a challenging complex and controversial posi-
tion, attempting to navigate between two different narratives. We
explore how the museum evolved through the years, presenting
the different identities, and discuss its efforts to create a bridge be-
tween Jews and Bedouins within the Negev’s polarized population.
While museums in Israel can play a constructive role in nurturing
mutual respect for cultural diversity, at the same time, the displays
may serve to widen rather than bridge the gaps between compet-
ing national narratives and promote ethnocentricity
Key words: Multiculturalism, Israeli society, Israeli museums, Israeli
ethnographic and regional museums, Negev Bedouin
