Self-Surveillance in a Settler-Colonial Context: CCTV and Tribal Authority in the Bedouin Town of Hura

Abstract

In this article, we examine the installation of surveillance cameras in the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev desert in Israel, analysing the complex interactions between the state and the local inhabitants, for whom the cameras were an opportunity to exercise agency. Considering the long history of Jewish colonialism in the Negev, one could have assumed that the new surveillance technology was imposed on the Bedouins against their will. However, in-depth interviews with Hura inhabitants demonstrated that the municipality and tribal authorities were active players in deciding on the installation and location of the surveillance cameras. In light of the conflictual relations of the Bedouin population to Israeli state authorities, we argue that while the cameras placed the Bedouins of Hura under a new layer of surveillance, their installation could also be understood as a reaction to the ongoing neglect of Bedouin lives and possessions by the state.