The Bedouins, the Ottoman Civilizing Mission and the Establishment of the Town of Beersheba

Abstract

According to Ottoman historiography, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Ottoman state adopted the European civilizing mission and discourse towards the nomadic tribal population in the empire. This phenomenon was usually referred to as ‘borrowed colonialism’. However, recently, new studies began to challenge that view, arguing that officials used civilizing discourse to justify their failures in dealing with the nomads, or that they used derogatory references strategically towards specific ends. Interestingly, studies from both groups use the establishment of the town and sub-district of Beersheba in southern Palestine to support their views. Based on Ottoman sources, the main argument of this article is that the fact that the Bedouins were perceived by the state as ‘ignorant’ and ‘wild’ caused its officials to demonstrate leniency and bestow special treatment upon them in order to integrate them in the Ottoman state and administration.