Changing from the margins: bedouin women and higher education in israel

Abstract

The article critically examines how Bedouin women in the Negev talk about higher education. It is based on a qualitative study undertaken in 1998 to explore how 20 female Bedouin students in the Negev in Israel perceive their experience in third level studies. The discussion focuses on the ways Bedouin women use higher education as a vehicle to strengthen themselves and their community. I analyze the ways in which those who attain higher education resist and challenge their social position as Bedouin women.