Tribe-State Relations

A short case study on Jordan

Basics British mandate Creation of

Transjordanian state Monarchy under

Emir Abdallah From Talal to

Hussein, 1951-1953 (Hussein dies 1999)

Qualified Independence (1946)

Population Pre-1948:

Settled peasants Semi-nomadic tribal confederations

Post-1948 Abdallah claims and takes West Bank, parts of Jerusalem Eastern part of Kingdom now contains 94% of land but 30%

population Palestinian West Bank families and refugees (458,000 out of total

pop of about 1.5 million) Post 1967

Population, today About 5 million people About 30-45% of Jordan’s population descended from tribal groups

(Bedouin and non-Bedouin) 70% Urban

Reproduced from The tribes of Jordan at the beginning of the 21st century by Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal (Amann: Turab Press, 1999)

Map of the tribes of Jordan (today)

Tensions

Hashemite officials vs local elites Town vs country “Jordanian” vs “Palestinian”

Tribes and Politics: the military

Integrating tribesJohn Glubb and the Arab Legion

WWII economic benefits to tribes

Bedouin loyalty to the state1957 Zerka “uprising”: renewal of tribal

loyalties“Black September” 1970: Monarchy vs the

Palestinian national movement (PLO)

Tribes and politics: Ideologies Jordanian national identity vs the Palestinian

“other”: tribal components King Hussein as “sheikh of the Jordanian

tribe” Tribal “set pieces” and visits

Themes in Jordanian national identity Pre 1989 Arab revolt, family lineage of

Hashemite kingdom, and Jordan’s tribal character

Post 1989 Hashemite lineage and Arab-Muslim unity

External consumption emphasizes tribal identity (tourism ministry)

Internal consumption: “Jordan First” (Abdallah)- “Unity in Diversity!”

Bedouin efforts to create national, print community

Jordanian military in Maan patrol under a “Jordan First” billboard. Photo: Merip.org

notes

Both states and tribe are “security-oriented collectives” whose paramount concerns are defense and economic security