Tribalism and Political Power in the Gulf

State-Building and National Identity in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE

Courtney Freer, Alanoud al-Sharekh

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780755644896
• eBook ISBN: 9781838606091
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Democracy
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Gulf societies are often described as being intensely tribal. However, in discussions of state building and national identity, the role of tribalism and tribal identity is often overlooked. This book analyses the political role of tribes in Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE aiming to understand the degree to which tribes hinder or advance popular participation in government and to what extent they exert domestic political power.
The research traces the historical relationship between ruling elites and nomadic tribes, and, by constructing political histories of these states and analysing the role of tribes in domestic political life and social hierarchies, reveals how they serve as major political actors in the Gulf.
A key focus of the book is understanding the extent to which societies in the Gulf have become 're-bedouinised' in the modern era and how this has shaped these states' political processes and institutions. The book explores the roles that tribes play in the development of "progressive" citizenship regimes and policymaking today, and how they are likely to be influential in the future within rentier environments.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction
• 2 The historical relationship between badū and ruling families
• 3 The social evolution of the tribe
• 4 Heritage production and branding of the modern badū in state formation
• 5 Tribalization of traditionally non-tribal actors and future impact of the resurgence of tribal rhetoric
• 6 Electoral tribalism
• 7 Tribal intersections in the digital age
• 8 Conclusion
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index