Tribes, Government, and History in Yemen [Paperback]

Paul Dresch here combines ethnography with history to describe the system of sedentary tribes in South Arabia--a strategically sensitive part of the world--over the past thousand years. He examines the values and traditions the tribal people bring to the contemporary world of nation-states, and discusses the relation of the major tribes to pre-modern Islamic learning, the Zaydi Imamate, ideas of contemporary statehood, and the area as a whole. Dresch's unique and provocative insights are of increasing value given the increased Western involvement with Yemen since 1989, the union of the two Yemens in 1990, and the country's first free election in 1993.

Comprehensive...I would recommend Dresch's work to any serious student of Yemen and Arabia as well as to a layman who considers a trip to the tribal areas discussed here. --Middle Eastern Studies Association Bulletin

An absorbing account of the major phases of Yemeni history....An accessible, authoritative, and important contribution. --Middle East Journal

A reference volume against which all previous and subsequent studies will have to be measured. Scholars specializing in Yemen are, for the first time, presented with an articulate and comprehensive discussion on questions of tribal identity, social organization, economic behavior, and politics. The study may well be a masterpiece of social anthropology and culture history....An exceptionally valuable contribution for anthropologists, political scientists, and Middle East specialists; highly recommended for advanced undergraduates and above. --Choice

A significant contribution to the study of tribe in the Middle East....It is an original and fascinating attempt as well to unite history with cultural interpretation. A deeply engaged and engaging work, complexly and grandly conceived and wittily written, its scholarship is also miles above sea level. --Times Literary Supplement

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