Human, Society & Environmen Lab

An interdisciplinary research unit focusing on the interfaces between humans, society, and the environment in historical and contemporary contexts.

About

The "Human-Society-Environment" Laboratory was established in October 2025 and operates as an interdisciplinary research unit focusing on the interfaces between humans, society, and the environment within both historical and contemporary contexts. While the primary research focus is the Negev, the scope extends to discussions at national and international levels. The laboratory brings together researchers from fields such as historical geography, planning, law, education, gender studies, tourism, and heritage conservation, serving as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary hub for both applied and theoretical research.

Our Projects

Walking trails, leisure and tourism spaces

This part of our reaserch examines walking trails, tourism, and leisure activities as social, cultural, and legal spaces. The research integrates aspects of planning, conservation, regulation, and landscape, exploring the role of trails in shaping spatial identity, facilitating access to natural resources, and defining human-space relationships. The field encompasses both historical and contemporary studies, as well as comparative analyses of policies and legislation in Israel and around the world.

The Land of Israel, Space, and Indigeneity: History, Identity, and Delegitimization

This field focuses on examining the historical and spatial connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel, while analyzing concepts of indigeneity, belonging, and identity over time. The research addresses the evolution of historical and spatial narratives and critically examines the use of indigeneity discourse in contemporary academic and public spheres—including processes of delegitimizing the State of Israel and their implications for perceptions of space and sovereignty.

Between Environmental History and Historical Geography

This topic addresses the interface between environmental history and historical geography, examining human-environment relations over time. Research in this field explores processes of landscape change, environmental perceptions, and planning and conservation policies, as well as the ways in which environmental ideas have shaped rural and urban spaces across different periods in the Land of Israel and the State of Israel.

Human-environment relations, with an emphasis on minority groups and frontier areas; museums and collections.

This field focuses on human-environment relations among minority groups and populations inhabiting frontier regions, with an emphasis on Bedouin society in the Negev. Research examines issues such as lifestyle, environmental education, health, leisure, and the transition from nomadism to urban living. Concurrently, the field explores the role of museums, collections, and practices of commemoration and preservation as arenas for environmental, social, and national representation, and as means of shaping memory and narrative within the public sphere.