Where have the Bedouin gone?

Cole, Donald Powell

article

Where have the Bedouin gone?

Anthropological quarterly • 76 (2) • Published In 2003 • Pages: 235-267

By: Cole, Donald Powell.

Abstract
This essay explores the effects of colonialism, commercialization of pastoral production, occupational changes, and sedentarization on Bedouin culture and identity. It discusses the many ways in which Bedouin communities in different North African and Middleastern countries ensured the continuity of their cultural ethos and social organization in the face of all these forces. In doing so, the essay argues against popular images which narrowly view the Bedouin as 'exotic nomads' with 'unique' organizational patterns consisting of 'tribes' and 'segmentary lineage.'

Cultural identity and pride

Annual cycle

Settlement patterns

Ethos

Historical reconstruction

Sociocultural trends

Research and development

Behavior toward non-relatives

Lineages

Clans

Ethnic stratification

Bedouin