This paper looks at Islamic writer Abdarrahman Ibn Khaldun's work "The Muqaddima", or "Introduction to History" and expounds especially on his points of view on Bedouin lifestyle.
3,400 words (approx. 13.6 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 96.95
Abstract This paper examines the writings of Khaldun, specifically why he considers Bedouin civilization more pure, although more harsh and animalistic than urban, sedentary life. Despite its harshness, this paper also examines why Ibn Khaldun considers the Bedouin lifestyle more essentially "Islamic" than sedentary, urban Islamic lifestyle
From the Paper "Like a modern historian as well, Khaldun also states quite blatantly what will be the main thesis of his text. However, unlike many modern historians he is also quite explicit in the moral project of his text. Khaldun states that in his view, what is closest to the primary structure of human needs takes precedence over the luxuries generated by more "developed" or "sedentary" civilizations. He states that there is a basic dichotomy that exists between people of the nomadic way of life and people of the sedentary way of life. This dichotomy is evidenced by the fact that nomadic people by virtue of their lifestyle can fulfill only their primary needs. Sedentary people, in contrast, can generate luxuries and enjoy leisure time because their way of life has developed and more elaborate societal structure that can cater to basic needs."
Abstract This paper discusses issues pertinent to the Bedouin woman at a time of change with regard to her status, her abilities and skills as a healer in the Bedouin traditional society. The paper describes in detail research examining the following main questions: Are Bedouin women still engaged in traditional healing or do they prefer the modern medicine? What is the Bedouin's attitude to traditional medicine today in a period of a meaningful interaction with the Western culture? In response to this, the writer provides us with an understanding that the older Bedouin population favor their traditional methods, whereas the younger Bedouin favor the modern methods and find it easier to integrate with Western culture.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Literature Review
The Bedouin in Israel
Belief and Views among the Bedouin The Bedouins? Health in the Desert
Climate and Living
Health Conditions
Illness and Cures among the Bedouin The Bedouin Healers
The Dervish
The Fugara (Bedouin Shaman)
The Traditional Doctor
Ways of Healing
Preventive Medicine
Curative Medicine
Burning as a Cure
Bleeding as a Cure
Herbs as a Cure
Mental Diseases
Holistic Health and the Bedouin From Tradition to Modernization
Traditional Medicine vs. Modern Medicine
The Bedouin Women of the Negev
The Bedouin Women's Attitude toward Traditional Medicine
The Research
Findings
Discussion
Summary
Bibliography
From the Paper "The Bedouin society has been experiencing a process of change for the last several decades, regarding issues like dwelling, occupation, women's status, modernization - changes that refer to the traditional point of view among the Bedouins. During the last few years there has been a great change in the attitude toward Bedouin's medicine and its use as a result of interaction with the Western world. The awareness of the Bedouins to modern medicine brought many of them, especially the young ones, to realize the limits of traditional medicine. In order to follow this new situation one must begin with the Bedouin tradition in different themes (Ben-David, 1999)."
Tags: arab, belief, cure, east, islam, israel, minority, western, medicine
Abstract The first part of the paper is an overview of the role of women in Bedouin society. The next part examines how the same gendered divisions can be discerned in societies as diverse as the Yanomamo Indians of northern Brazil and the Berbers of Morocco. In the third part, the paper looks at how the effects of economic development and the forces of modernity reach even into the nomadic tribes of the desert and the rainforests. It examines how these changes have affected the communal relations among the groups and if modernity had effects on their existing gender ideals, and how these ethnic groups have responded.
From the Paper "Unlike Western society, the Bedouins do not place a great emphasis on the individual. In fact, blood ties serve to link people to the past and "bind them in the present" (41). Members of the Bedouins could trace their lineage back to genealogy, and these blood ties form an important part of their identity. In traditional Bedouin society, outsiders perceive thus people of the same kin interchangeably, and the way one kin member acts or is treated reflects on the entire group.
The foundation of honor in Bedouin society is based on the concept of asl. It is interesting to note that asl is closely linked with a person's genealogy as well. As with the ancient Chinese, who regarded non-Chinese visitors as ?barbarians,? the Bedouins of the Awlad ?Ali thus use asl to delineate between people who are of Bedouin and non-Bedouin descent."
From the Paper "The development of the oil resource in the Middle East has irretrievably altered the life of the Bedouin tribes in that region. Although they continue to exist, in many instances they have been pressured by the government to alter their long history of wandering in order to settle down in towns and villages. They have been affected by development in many different areas of life. The intent in the following pages is to explore the world of the Bedouin during earlier times by looking at the Rwala and Mutair tribes and comparing their ways to each other."
Abstract The paper shows that the central research question addressed by Lila Abu-Lughod in her book "Veiled Sentiments" is how women and young men may express certain personal feelings that otherwise violate their moral code, the code conveyed to them by their social group. The paper discusses how the Bedouin society she studies is one where people often sang or used short poems to express their feelings and how the author notes that the question that arises concerns the relationship between the Bedouin poetic discourse and the discourse of ordinary social life.
From the Paper "The world depicted by Abu-Lughod is a society based on blood ties above all, both linking people to the past and to one another in the present. In approaching this society, Abu-Lughod first had to divest herself of certain romantic notions of Bedouin life. She believed that the people were tied to the sea, but she found that the sea played little or no part in their social life and that it was the desert which was central in their thinking. She was also surprised to find that the people lived in houses instead of tents, though they did pitch their tents next to the houses and spent most of their time in the tents."
Abstract Compares and contrasts the two Mideast countries. Principal factors or indicators that have shaped the political cultures, political leadership patterns, institutions & policies of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. History. Georgraphical featlures and growth of a Nomadic Bedouin cultures.Theocratic rule & kinship bond produced by Islam. Contemporary political developments.
From the Paper "COUNTRY STUDY -- SAUDI ARABIA AND EGYPT
This research paper describes, compares and contrasts the principal factors (indicators) which have shaped the respective political cultures, dominant political leadership patterns, institutions and policies of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. They include the natural environment, geographical position, religion and economic constraints and potentials.
I. Historical Evolution of Politics and the State (pre-1950)
Throughout its 6,000 year old civilization, Egypt's politics and state structures have been strongly influenced by its climate which yielded a large thinly populated arid area and a densely populated Nile River Valley whose inhabitants have been dependent for their survival on the effects of rainfall and floods."
This paper investigates the roles of Lebanese food, clothing, and other objects using a semiotic approach in an attempt to understand more deeply the Lebanese culture.
Abstract This paper explains that semiotics is the study of people and their culture through evaluating the signs and symbols the culture holds as important. This paper points out that the Lebanese society is divided into numerous sects, separated from each other by recognizable geographical lines of demarcation and, perhaps even more, by fear and suspicion. The paper relates that, in the Lebanese valley of the Bekaa, not far from where Romans venerated the god of wine, Bacchus, Bedouins are busy harvesting grapes for the new vintage of Lebanese wine.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Semiotics
Background Look at Lebanon
Objects
Food Products
Clothing
Conclusion
From the Paper "From Paterson, New Jersey, to Cairo, Egypt, a growing number of Islamic-oriented clothing stores and fashion shows are helping to promote a trendier look. Styles are even changing in ultra conservative Iran, where a dress code was imposed after the 1979 Islamic revolution. These days, more and more Iranian women are replacing the chador, the head-to-toe black garment, with headscarves and loose coats and slacks. Ziane Debebu(ph) is the agent for the five Tekbir outlets in Lebanon. He says the modern Muslim woman increasingly wants clothing that reflects her individual personality and tastes, especially here in fashion conscious Beirut."
This paper discusses the Battle of Kadesh, the first war of significant military tactics and the first evidence of safety brought to national borders because of a doctrine of peace through deterrence.
Abstract This paper describes the Battle of Kadesh, which took place in the middle of the second century B.C., in which two nations fought for control over a land route that led from Asia and Egypt to the continent of Europe, involving the Hittites, the Egyptian forces of Ramses II, and the rogue tribe of Amarru, which was in the process of defecting from the Hittites to the protection of the Egyptians. The author points out that the failure of Ramses's campaign was a result of his tactical errors; he did not send enough scouts to explore the countryside and gain accurate information as to the position and strength of his enemy. The paper relates that the modern writer's evaluation of this battle is based mostly on the Egyptian record keepers, who were a much more formal social order than those of the Bedouin, wandering Hittite tribes; therefore, much of this information comes from the Egyptian poets, archaeological digs, and other relics recovered from this period.
From the Paper "The political setting leading up to the war can be described thus. The Hittites and the Egyptians were the most significantly powerful tribes of this time. Egypt controlled the land south of the Mediterranean, leading into Canaan, and up the isthmus which lead into Europe. The Hittites resided at the north end of the isthmus in the areas know known as Turkey and Syria. Their interests lied in maintaining control over this important trade route while Egypt's between Egypt and the north along the eastern Mediterranean coast while Egypt's goals resided in expanding their influence in order to control the trade routes. Control over this region could mean access to goods which were beyond Egypt's ability to travel. They could also, theoretically, use the commerce trades as a source of revenue. Thus the two parties, with equally commercial and political interest in the region, wanted to expand their own balance of power."
Abstract The paper examines whether the fact that Arabian horses have fewer bones means that they are superior horses. The writer proposes that their superiority is subjective. The paper explains how the Arabian has fewer bones, with many horse experts and breeders preferring the Arabian. The paper analyzes whether the fewer-boned horse has advantages over the other horses in the field.
From the Paper "One of the things that allows the Arabian to be very good at endurance riding is the fact that the hind legs are "remarkably free" in their ability to move and be limber, Edwards explains in the book. The tail of the Arabian is set very high in the croup, and while moving, the tail of the Arabian "is carried arched and well up," a point horse experts notice when discussing the style which the horse shows while running."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the book "Cities of Salt", by Abdelrahman Munif, first published in 1984 in Beirut. According to the paper there are many politics issues that are introduced in the book, and it is important to understand how the novel enhances the understanding that others have of both politics and society within the Middle East. The paper discusses and addresses these issues in order to
show how the novel brings new insight for those that do not live in the Middle East and may not be aware of the society and politics of that country.
From the Paper "The technology that the Americans bring is a problem for the Bedouin residents, because they have never seen it before and do not understand it. Because of this, they are very suspicious of the Americans and the equipment, which includes telephones, automobiles, bulldozers, and radios, among other things. Many of the residents see these items working off of 'magic' and this makes them frightened and confused. This is one of the ways that the author shows how the clash of cultures and societies can cause problems and misunderstandings, and is therefore very important to the central theme of the novel.
Since the story moves along at a strong pace and covers many years, there is a virtually endless group of events and characters that can be examined, and the plot threads all connect in such a way that the story remains very interesting throughout. There are many nuances and ambiguities that can be seen in the Arab culture, and quite a large number of them are rather subtle. The translation of the book by Theroux shows that there is an understanding of the language and culture of the Arabs and all of the subtleties that go along with it, which is important for capturing the 'voice' of those that are seen in the novel and the way that the Arab society works."
Tags:Bedouin, americans, oasis, technology, arabs, islam
Abstract The author of this paper examines historical, geographical and religious factors that influenced the development of modern day Iraq. The author contends that within the development of the state of Iraq there are two basic themes of historical continuity from ancient times to the present day: (1) creation and construction of the state (2) the process of economic and social development. Within these two themes there is a constant struggle to come together and to divide. The writer further states that Iraq has had a significant historical struggle with unity, as a result of many centuries of social, economic and political dominance of one group over another, be they ancient rulers or modern "secular" leaders. The paper goes on to examine aspects of that "historical struggle".
From the Paper "From the more general theory, of geography and foreign interferance one must then discuss the ancient conflict between schools of the same faith, Sunni and Shi' Islam have been in constant struggle for power and representation over the years and to this day there is a clear sense that even modern representations of each of these schools are in a constant struggle to have their foundations build the nation and dominate the social and political arena. This point demonstrated well in the ebb and flow of history represented by Hourani, where he points out that the center of what became modern Iraq (Baghdad) is dominated by the Shi and to some degree still is, while the Sunni are frequently underrepresented and living on the fringes. (p. 35) The differences and similarities of these two faiths have driven them to different ends, and has frequently been the source of much conflict among even the most modern inhabitants of the nation, as it is reflected in a constant struggle to divide, and come together through representation and exclusion."
