Tribalism, Identity and Citizenship in Contemporary Qatar

Authors

Ali Alshawi, Qatar UniversityFollow
Andrew M. Gardner, University of Puget SoundFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 8-1-2014

Publication Title

Anthropology of the Middle East

Department

Sociology & Anthropology

Abstract

This article examines the resurgence of tribalism as a sociological component of contemporary Qatari society. Utilising an ethnographic, mixed-methods design, the article begins with a survey of the substantial scholarship concerning tribes in Arabia. That scholarship provides ideas and understandings that only partially explain the vitality of contemporary tribalism. The article then demonstrates tribalism’s ongoing social importance by analysing data from a quantitative survey of 800 Qatari citizens. The article concludes with the ethnographically situated contention that tribalism functions as a mechanism for asserting social power in the contemporary Qatari state, and is therefore an emblematic component of Qatari citizenship.

Comments

Several minor corrections were made to this draft before it was submitted to Anthropology of the Middle East

Volume

8

Issue

2

pp.

46-59

ISSN

1746-0727

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.3167/ame.2013.080204

WorldCat Link

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/5707388667

Provider Link

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/berghahn/antmid/2013/00000008/00000002/art00004?token=005114c9791c405847447b496e6c5f3138422c2046473633757e6f3f2f2730673f582f6b022f71c5a

Citation

Alshawi, A H, and Andrew Gardner. "Tribalism, Identity and Citizenship in Contemporary Qatar." Anthropology of the Middle East. 8.2 (2013): 46-59. Print.