Not what it seems: the role of the tribe in state–society relations in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This article discusses the relation between state and tribe in Saudi Arabia, but it does not ascribe to the prevailing conception that presupposes tribal ascendancy in the role of intermediary between state and society – at least not in this present phase of the evolution of the Saudi state. At the same time, it considers state–society relations – where the state is the prevailing form of political superstructure in the Arabian Peninsula – to be a narrow one due to the poverty of the relationship between rulers and ruled in the contemporary institutions: be they constitutional or legislative, political parties, civil society institutions, freedom of expression and the press, or the acceptance of difference of opinion – especially the opinion of ‘the other’. If we reject the supposition of tribal ascendency in the role of intermediary between society and state, this does not mean inter alia disavowal of the tribal character of the regime in Saudi Arabia. However, I distinguish between the tribal structure ...