Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror

The Saudi communities that make up the oasis of al-‘Ulâ (Saudi Arabia) display a unity cemented by their belonging to the kingdom, de facto excluding foreign workers, who are nevertheless essential to the local oasis economy. This unity under the royal seal is more proclaimed than it is felt and exp...

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Main Authors: Vincent Battesti, Léo Marty
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de Sanaa 2023-07-01
Series:Arabian Humanities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/10103
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author Vincent Battesti
Léo Marty
author_facet Vincent Battesti
Léo Marty
author_sort Vincent Battesti
collection DOAJ
description The Saudi communities that make up the oasis of al-‘Ulâ (Saudi Arabia) display a unity cemented by their belonging to the kingdom, de facto excluding foreign workers, who are nevertheless essential to the local oasis economy. This unity under the royal seal is more proclaimed than it is felt and experienced by the inhabitants of the region. Local collective identities are nested, defined by allegiance to one group as much as by its distinction from the other group of the same nature. This principle of nested subdivision begins between Bedouin and Sedentary groups and continues within them. These first results of a rare ethnographic survey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are intended to offer—before the completion of the project that supports them—an essential knowledge base so that the current development of al-‘Ulâ, led by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and its contractors, can be carried out while paying close attention to the social realities of the local population.
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spelling doaj-art-7c4fa0ccd131430cb5c3d2f84098821d2025-08-20T02:26:45ZengCentre Français d’Archéologie et de Sciences Sociales de SanaaArabian Humanities2308-61222023-07-011710.4000/cy.10103Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirrorVincent BattestiLéo MartyThe Saudi communities that make up the oasis of al-‘Ulâ (Saudi Arabia) display a unity cemented by their belonging to the kingdom, de facto excluding foreign workers, who are nevertheless essential to the local oasis economy. This unity under the royal seal is more proclaimed than it is felt and experienced by the inhabitants of the region. Local collective identities are nested, defined by allegiance to one group as much as by its distinction from the other group of the same nature. This principle of nested subdivision begins between Bedouin and Sedentary groups and continues within them. These first results of a rare ethnographic survey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are intended to offer—before the completion of the project that supports them—an essential knowledge base so that the current development of al-‘Ulâ, led by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and its contractors, can be carried out while paying close attention to the social realities of the local population.https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/10103identitySaudi Arabiaanthropologyethnographyal-‘UlâOasis
spellingShingle Vincent Battesti
Léo Marty
Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror
Arabian Humanities
identity
Saudi Arabia
anthropology
ethnography
al-‘Ulâ
Oasis
title Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror
title_full Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror
title_fullStr Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror
title_full_unstemmed Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror
title_short Bedouins and Sedentaries today in al-‘Ulâ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia): al-diyâr and al-Dîra in the rear-view mirror
title_sort bedouins and sedentaries today in al ula kingdom of saudi arabia al diyar and al dira in the rear view mirror
topic identity
Saudi Arabia
anthropology
ethnography
al-‘Ulâ
Oasis
url https://journals.openedition.org/arabianhumanities/10103
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