Palestinian activism in Israel : a Bedouin woman leader in a changing Middle East /

Dahan-Kalev (political science, Hebrew Univ.) and Le Febvre, her former advisee, present an "oral life history production" of activist Amal El'Sana-Alh'jooj, an al'Naqab Bedouin woman. Part of the "Middle East Today" series, the book provides a unique insight into the sociological and political complexities of Bedouin society in southern Israel and how individuals negotiate their identities as Arabs, Israelis, and Palestinians. The authors use conversations with Amal to illustrate the challenges facing Bedouin women in particular, and Israeli Arabs in general. While the premise of utilizing an activist's life to investigate the dynamics of the community is interesting, the book seems unfocused. In part because of the paucity of monograph-length studies on Israeli Bedouin, the authors provide detailed historical and anthropological background information in addition to outlining theoretical frameworks from both political science and political anthropology. While important, this sometimes results in Amal's story being lost; a discussion of the groups she founded and works with does not begin until chapter five. Overall, this work is useful in shedding light on an often-ignored population. Its jargon and lack of cohesion may make it unsuitable, however, for undergraduate use. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers. D. E. Jenison Kent State University