Poetry and politics in contemporary Bedouin society

Abstract

This book shows how colloquial Bedouin poetry remains a vibrant art that has manifold modern functions: commenting on world affairs (such as the Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf War, the American invasion of Iraq); criticising the domestic policies of Arab states; and, highlighting poverty, discrimination, the corrupt practices of officialdom, and compliant local media. Each of the forty-one poems presented within this book is transliterated and translated into English verse, with historical and contextual annotation. The tone is sometimes bitter, sometimes satirical, sometimes scurrilous, and often amusing. The poems are prefaced by an essay on the practice of modern Bedouin poetry. This book is completed by appendices containing the Arabic script versions of the poems, extensive language notes, and a glossary of the vocabulary.