"The idea for editing this book originated during an international conferencetitled ""Regional Development: The Challenge of the Frontier,""held in December 1993 at the Dead Sea and which was organized by theNegev Center for Regional Development at Ben-Gurion University of theNegev. In this conference we noticed that little has been said about theimpact of Israel's complex mosaic of ethnic groups on the shaping of thecountry's social and spatial frontiers. We have therefore endeavored tobring together a number of perspectives on the evolution of ethnicfrontiers in Israel and the role they play in shaping the cultural landscapeof 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 ofspatial, social, economic, and political peripheries. More specifically weattempted to present the process of frontier development as perceived byIsrael's ethnic and national minorities. We therefore invited contributionsfrom various other Israeli experts on these issues: geographers, sociologists,anthropologists, and political scientists, which have now becomethe main body of chapters in this book. We trust that they are representativeof the main dimensions of the subject."