ABSTRACT
Nomadism is one of the romantic images running through anthropological work. Studies of nomadic groups, whether foragers or herders, and whether anchored in arid or ample rain-fed zones, have not fully dispelled that image. When Jews from Middle Eastern regions began arriving in Israel after independence, and became objects of general and academic curiosity, Slouschz's writings were among the limited sources available for learning about their life in North Africa. In Israel, Zuaretz led the Committee of Libyan Communities, an ethnic organization operating under the auspices of the National Religious Party. The term 'troglodytes' with reference to the dwellings in the Gharian, which Nahum Slouschz traces back to Herodotus, provides an objectivizing 'learned' discourse that allows his own perceptions and understandings to dominate the account. Anthropologists are trained to be very cautious about any conceptual scheme that smacks of evolutionism.
