Category: Society & Politics in the Middle East

Simplistic views about tribal structures in the Middle East doom large in the media and blur our understanding of the current uprisings when the revolutions and concomitant transformations are discussed that take place in the Middle East. However if one looks at these societies from an anthropological perspective a different image of this social phenomenon, not typical for Middle Eastern societies alone, may arise. Based upon her research in Oman, Corien Hoek shows that in this country, state and nation building over a long period of time has thoroughly transformed the tribal organization even though tribes still constitute the back-bone of society at grass-roots level. These social formations have an important integrative function, whereby seeking consensus, and negotiating with representatives from all groups concerned are well-proofed methods and conditions for the success of authority and stability within and between the tribes. Moreover equality of the families, their leaders and the members is a guiding principle, in which the Islam has its role too.

What direction will Egypt be going in the time coming? Anthropologist Samuli Schielke is once again in Egypt and talked to several people and sees contradictory developments that were already going on but that are now partly magnified and partly transformed: the reintroduction of capitalism with a major social impact, the wave of a religious conservatism that was depoliticised in the past but is now becoming openly political in the aftermath of the protests and is also part of the neoliberal system of governance. Other major points pertain to the difficult relationship between ordinary people and the state, the crisis of patriarchal authority and people claiming their voice. Interestingly Schielke also shows how revolution is an emotional state and endeavour.