The second part recalls the relationship between the individual and a modern state as a theoretical concept. What is the function of a modern Gulf state, if the originally tribal population is now in the minority in most of the region’s societies? Is the tribe defunct because there is a state? Do tribe and state co-exist or has tribe merged into state? The first part of this paper will highlight the various aspects of the role, which the tribal structure played in people’s lives, when this region’s society was still homogenously tribal. The total population of the five GCC states excluding Saudi Arabia is currently estimated at some 12, 2 million. All five states are now home – even if only temporarily – to a very large number of immigrants from neighbouring countries and further afield. ![]() The nationals, who are broadly deemed to descend from the various regional tribes, have indeed almost everywhere become a minority. Today’s inhabitants of these five modern states are not all descendents of this tribal population by a long way. When the material for the Gazetteer was compiled for use by officials of the Government of India, the population of Oman was estimated at 500,000 people, that of Bahrain at 100,000, the Trucial States was 80,000, Kuwait 50,000 and Qatar 30,0003. For the purpose of tracing the process of transition from tribe to state the seven individual emirates, which now constitute the federal state of the UAE, should also be considered as states in their own right because many parallels can be seen, for instance, between Kuwait or Qatar and Dubai or other emirates in the ways in which authority of a tribal sheikh has developed into the use of executive and administrative power. All five states are members of the UN and many other international organisations they have secured their particular roles on the world stage. They are the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait, making up five of the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council2. This area is now covered by five modern states. ![]() Almost all of them belonged to one of the 260 or more tribes, whose names were enumerated in the Gazetteer1 as a result of field work conducted between 19. We hope that this volume will be valuable to many inspired academics who will continue to carry this line of scholarly inquiry forward.Īt the beginning of the 20th century the population of Eastern Arabia was estimated at some 760,000 people. Areas of need for future scholarship and research will become clear through our readers’ comments, reviews, and assessments. This volume aims to be comprehensive, but it is by no means all encompassing. The volume endeavors to narrow the gaps in our understanding of social change in the Gulf region, providing opportunities for learning from best practices as well as offering practical solutions for policy interventions. We broadly cover social, linguistic and cultural, economic, and political spheres of the Gulf region. ![]() This book contains thirty-eight chapters and is divided into four parts. This book aims to take forward the discourse on the factors, directions, and magnitudes of social change in Gulf region from multidisciplinary perspectives. This volume attempts to advance our knowl- edge of social change in the Gulf region by documenting the changes in the social, cultural, economic, and political spheres of the Gulf States. Change occurs over time and often has profound and long-term consequences for society. Social change is gener- ally understood through shifts in human interactions and relationships that reshape cultural and social institutions. ![]() In order to under- stand the sweeping transformation of the region, we organized an annual conference on Social Change in the Gulf region in November 2020. We at the Gulf Studies Center have felt the need to document the impact of these changes on the region. Robert Barr’s assertions in his book, “The Unchanging East,” do not hold true today for places like the Arab Gulf States where the tides of change and development have been unparalleled in scope, depth, and speed. Since then, the region has undergone significant transformations in all spheres: social, cultural, economic, and political. “Pearls, pirates, and petroleum,” this is how Sir Charles Belgrave summed up the story of Gulf region in his speech at the Royal Central Asian Society on June 28, 1967, upon winning the Lawrence of Arabia Medal.
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