Aviv Teva
Global Studies Portfolio
Senior Capstone Project
Seniors in the Global Studies Diploma Program work on year long capstone projects on a topic of their choosing. The goal of my work is to gain a thorough understanding of my topic and develop a thesis driven research paper with two supporting products. This page will document my work on this project.
Product #1: Research Paper
Nomadism and the Costs of Modernity
My work explores trends between different nomadic communities, and what our modern sedentary global society could learn from this style of life. How are old traditions and culture balanced with progressing and advancement in modern life? What is gained from nomadic life? What is lost? Through my research, I connect to many global studies themes including the environment, globalization, religion, non violence, and war. I argue that nomadism’s alignment with human nature, environmental sustainability, and preservation of human rights makes it a more rational way of life than the modern state systems that dominate the world today, which fundamentally oppose nomadic existence and render true coexistence impossible. Want to learn more? Read my full research paper with the link below.
Product #2: A Photo Essay Case Study
The Tuareg: Nomads of the Sahara
The Tuareg people are a nomadic Berber group who have traversed the North African desert for centuries, and maintain a deep symbiotic relationship with the environment. Known for their iconic indigo veils, Tuareg are a free-moving people who have mastered the art of adaptation for survival. The origins of this ancient group are difficult to trace, but many mark the beginning of the Tuareg as a defined group between the 4th and 7th centuries. The Tuareg move throughout the land of modern day Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya, and Burkina Faso, through the Sahara and Sahel regions. While hard to count, their current population is estimated at between 1.5 and 3 million people. Like most nomadic groups, the Tuareg are pastoralists whose lives revolve around moving their herds for food and trade. Their livestock provide milk, meat, and leather, while also serving as their primary form of currency. The way the Tuareg maintain their mobile lifestyle is also by using lightweight tents, which are often triangular and made from wooden frames with fabric like animal hair or rugs. They offer shelter from wind and sand and are most importantly easily portable. With a stunning culture and extremely complex history, the Tuareg provide a striking example of a nomadic group whose individuality and way of life has heavily clashed with that of the modern world.
Culture
The Tuareg use an alphabet called "Tifinagh", and speak an Amazigh dialect called Tamasheq, defining their roots as Berber. The origins of the word "Tuareg" are debated, some saying it comes from Arabic meaning "abandoned by God", while others claim it translates to "free men". While mobile and often divided into smaller community groups of around 50–150 people, the Tuareg have defined social classes that separate free men from slaves, and within that distinguish artisans from warriors and religious leaders. Tuareg religion is based on Sunni Islam, often following the Maliki school, but is practiced in a quieter, more blended way as part of everyday life. They don’t always follow formal rituals like the five daily prayers, but might naturally say a prayer of thanks when something good happens. Older cultural beliefs exist as well, like seeing spirits or nature as signs of the divine and thinking of the desert as something almost alive. The blue veil worn by the Tuareg is a fascinating symbol of the group, but mainly serves a functional purpose of protection against the harsh conditions of the desert, and helps to conserve body water. It is only traditional for men to wear the distinct blue headscarves; the women do not.
Creative tradition is vivid and unique among the Tuareg. One fascinating tradition of the Tuareg is a dance called the "Tam Tam". When performed, they sit in a circle, playing drums and chanting while the men ride around them on camels. Tuareg music comes from what they call Aguiyiw, a kind of deep, natural sound connected to the world around them. Musicians, or Aguiyiwane, use instruments like the tendé, inzad, tzommart, and tehardant to bring that feeling to life, passing the connection to nature down through the generations. The inhadanen, skilled artists and blacksmiths, create work inspired by nature and the elements, and hold the same respect for the environment as their music does. Some of the most prominent forms of art include silver jewelry, woodworking, and leatherwork.
History
A major challenge for nomads in modern settled societies is restricted movement, as state borders limit access to grazing lands. For centuries, the Tuareg survived the Sahara by migrating with their herds to find better pastures when conditions became too harsh. Land was traditionally shared under a collective system accepted by both nomads and farmers. When major droughts came in the 1970s and '80s, the Tuareg were not able to adapt to such a change given the challenges of migration between countries, and many people and livestock died. Losing access to land and mobility has threatened not only their survival but also their culture, where constant movement is central to identity. With less land and increasing settlement, overuse and environmental degradation have become unavoidable, making life that much harder in this already difficult environment. Due to this, the greatest tensions for the Tuareg in the last decades have been in Mali and Niger. The fixed borders of these young nations have deepened conflicts with groups like the Tuareg, creating long-standing disputes that remain unresolved.
After the previously mentioned droughts, many Tuareg grew frustrated with the Malian government for neglecting the crisis and mishandling aid. Many Tuareg left for Libya and Algeria in search of work. In Libya, large numbers joined Qaddafi’s forces, gaining money, military training, and recreating the strong bonded identity that had been fading in recent decades. When Libya’s economy declined in the late 1980s, these fighters returned to Mali, but were now organized and armed. This helped spark rebellions against Mali in the 1990s, which ended in a peace deal that gave the Tuareg some concessions, but the tensions of centuries obviously did not disappear. In 2012, Tuareg fighters organized under an initiative called the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) pushed for an independent state in northern Mali, to be called Azawad. Their movement was soon overtaken by Islamist militant groups, leading to widespread violence and a refugee crisis. French military intervention in 2013 pushed these groups out of major cities, but instability has continued ever since.
It is important to acknowledge that the Tuareg were by no means peaceful camel herders. They both kept slaves and held a violent reputation long before the French stepped foot into Africa. But what this history seeks to outline is how tension with these states pushed this group to become more violent, more agitated, and more marginalized.
Modern Life and Struggles
Trying to adapt to the modern sedentary world has pushed many Tuareg to become semi-nomadic. Some still herd animals and move through the desert, while others live in cities or use new technology. Many Tuareg men, when entering the urban world, get low-paying maintenance or construction jobs. The modern semi-nomadic blend in many cases is striking: authentic camel caravans may now have motorbikes flanking them, or the traditional blue veil may frame a face wearing prescription glasses. Today, some of the biggest struggles for the Tuareg people are poverty, drought from climate change, and, as previously mentioned, limits on their movement because of national borders. In parts of the Sahel, conflict, lack of schools and healthcare, and fewer job opportunities also make life harder.
Looking Forward
Protecting the land and migration routes of the Tuareg people is key to helping them keep their way of life. Peace efforts need to go beyond solving small scale conflict and act systematically to support the revitalization of culture and traditions. The Tuareg's own knowledge of the environment can be used to help combat climate change and make our society more sustainable. Additionally, supporting local schools, crafts, and music helps keep the Tuareg culture alive while also creating opportunities within the group.
Looking at the Tuareg people as a case study shows how nomadic life can be closely adapted to the environment, with movement across the desert helping prevent overuse of land and reflecting a flexible system that contrasts with rigid modern borders and settlement patterns. Their experience also highlights how conflict, climate change, and restricted mobility make it difficult for nomadic lifestyles to survive within modern political and economic systems. Applying these ideas today would not require returning to full nomadism, but it could mean building more flexible systems that allow movement, support traditional land access, and integrate Indigenous environmental knowledge into broader approaches to sustainability.