History of Saudi Arabia by Madawi Al-Rasheed

From the Publisher

Saudi Arabia is a wealthy and powerful country which exerts influence in the West and across the Islamic world. Yet it remains a closed society. The author traces its history from the age of emirates in the nineteenth century to the present day. Fusing chronology with analysis, personal experience with oral histories, she illuminates the social and cultural life of the Saudis. This rich and rewarding book will be invaluable to students as well as others trying to understand the enigma of Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Affairs

An anthropologist, Al-Rasheed has relied on the many Arabic and Western studies available to offer this up-to-date study of Saudi Arabia. Her account steers clear of both the overly heroic and the overly hostile. She brings out well the close Saudi ties from earliest days, first with the United Kingdom and then America. She treats Ibn Saud's matrimonial politics and what might be dubbed the "Arabian style" of leadership used by him and his successors while paying attention to the regional distinctions within Saudi Arabia and the situation of the Shi'a minority concentrated in the oil-producing eastern region. There is also a good description of the dynasty's religious extremists who were crushed in the 1920s (but whose ideological heirs thrive today), but she offers only a single reference to Osama bin Laden. A concluding chapter treats the writings, speeches, and celebrations that figure in the Saudi effort to create a favorable image and the counternarratives of Saudi dissidents.

Booknews

Al-Rasheed (U. of London) traces Saudi Arabia's society and politics from the 18th century to Saudi responses to the Gulf War; distinguishes official historiography from counter-narratives; and argues that Saudi Arabia differs from other Arab nations in that its formation was not wholly shaped by nationalistic or independence rhetoric. Includes a chronology, maps, illustrations, glossary, and royal genealogies. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Product Details

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents