"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."