Transition from ruralism to urbanization: The case of Arab localities in Israel

The transition of Arab communities in Israel from ruralism to urbanization and from a traditional to a modern society warrants a theoretical discussion and an evaluation of the immediate and long-term implications of this phenomenon. Given the complexity of the urbanization process and the emergence of new locality types, the village-town binary is on a path towards obsolescence. Most of the Arab localities in Israel are indeed urbanizing villages, but this process differs from that of developed societies with respect to both pace and the preferred mode of urbanism. The present article takes stock of the tensions over the designation of these communities as well as the residents' contrasting impulses of preserving traditional elements and adopting modern lifestyles. This unique and complicated shift from ruralism to urbanization and from traditionalism to modernity has posed challenging obstacles in all that concerns the planning, development, and management of Arab localities in Israel.