The Politics of Fear in Sderot

In an era in which more people in our region are becoming ever more familiar with fear, the Fourth Annual Alternative Politics Conference in Sderot last week dedicated two days to "The Politics of Fear." SHATIL Associate Director Carlos Sztyglic opened the conference by comparing the fears officials try to instill in us today ("If we talk to Hamas, the State will fall apart; If we don't cut social budgets, we'll have economic catastrophe") to the fears of childhood monsters our parents evoked when we didn't mind them. In both cases, fear is used by the powerful to control the less powerful. Academics, writers, social activists and citizens from throughout the country participated in sessions on Fear as Policy in History, From Threat of Catastrophe to Economic Growth, Dangers, Fears and Security Policy. Sztyglic also moderated a round table discussion on "Another kind of Politics in Israel: Struggles, New Direction and Voices."

SHATIL Director Rachel Liel spoke at an evening event at the new Sderot Community Center along with literary, academic and community figures from Sderot and the rest of the country. The event brought conference participants together with Sderot residents and was recorded live for Michael Miro's popular weekly radio show, "Social Issues." It celebrated the 50th anniversary of Sderot's transition from immigrant transit camp to local authority. Liel spoke about the need to transform the concept "periphery" from a geographic to a social notion and from a negative poor cousin image to the positive potential the periphery holds for providing an alternative to the center that enjoys distributive equality and builds new models for diverse populations living together.

The Conference was co-sponsored by Sapir Academic College, SHATIL and the Heinrich Boll Foundation.