Near Eastern tribal societies during the nineteenth century : economy, society and politics between tent and town / Eveline J. van der Steen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Steen, E. J. van der (Eveline J.)

Contributor:

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

Approaches to anthropological archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tribes--Middle East.

Tribes.

Middle East--Social conditions.

Middle East.

Social conditions.

Physical Description:

xvi, 302 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Sheffield ; Bristol, CT : Equinox, 2013.

Summary:

Until the First World War, Near Eastern society was tribally organized. In the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, where the Ottoman Empire was weak, large and powerful tribes such as the Anaze, Beni Sakhr and Shammar competed for control of the land, the people and the economy. This in-depth study explores the history, archaeology and anthropology of tribal society, economy and politics in the villages, towns and deserts of the Near East in the nineteenth century. Drawing on a wide range of historical accounts from travellers, adventurers and explorers as well as archaeological evidence, the book sheds new light on tribal life and tribal organization as a driving force in Near Eastern society. While a straight comparison between ancient and more recent tribal communities must be treated with caution, the book shows how a better understanding of nineteenth-century tribal ethics and customs provides useful insights into the history and power relations of the more distant past and the underlying causes for the present conflicts of the region. The book is an important addition to new research on tribal life and culture and will be of interest to historians, archaeologists, anthropologists and scholars of the Near East. Book jacket.

Contents:

What is a tribe

Travellers in the Levant in the nineteenth century

The dynamics of territorial and power structures

Oral traditions

Tribal society and its relation to the landscape

Tribal institutions

Relations between the tribes and the state

From tribe to tribal state: three case studies

Economy of tribal societies

Ethnicity and the sense of belonging

Women in tribal societies

Religion and folklore

Back in time: historical parallels.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

1908049839

9781908049834

OCLC:

795760949

Publisher Number:

99953945463