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Politics and Society in Saudi Arabia: The Crucial Years of Development, 1960-1982
Sarah Yizraeli deciphers the complex dynamics of a major Middle Eastern power by focusing on the role of Saudi royal family decision making in the building of a modern state. In great detail, she traces the internal deliberations that took place in the formative years of the kingdom, when the priorities and rule of the state were defined. In a document known as the "Ten Point Programme," first presented in a 1962 speech by Crown Prince Faysal, the royal family placed limitations on potential social change and thwarted any reform of the political system. This explains why, even though Saudi Arabia tries to mend past errors (particularly with regard to its educational system), the fundamentals of the regime fail to evolve. Whether Saudi Arabia can modernize without major social and religious upheaval remains to be seen, yet Yizraeli's research tracks several key avenues the regime may follow and the possible responses of its powerful elite.
244 pages, Hardcover
First published January 3, 2012
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November 15, 2013
"Politics and Society in Saudi Arabia" had the appearance of a first edition. There were a LOT of typos. But beyond the mechanics, Yizraeli presents some interesting substance. My impression is that she's more careful in her analysis than some of the more sensationalist volumes I've read on the Kingdom, so she tends to find greater accuracy in nuance that others miss in 21st century geopolitical rhetoric.
As just one example, I recall reading in Robert Lacey's "Inside the Kingdom" that the Kingdom experienced a resurgence in the power and influence of the religious establishment in the 1980s under King Fahd, in reaction to the 1979 takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Islamic puritans. I may be misremembering, but my sense was that Lacey cited the takeover as the driving force behind the 'ulama's expanding power. Yizraeli notes that the crisis at the Grand Mosque was certainly a factor that pushed the royal family to yield greater leeway to the 'ulama in the 1980s, but not until she has carefully established the stranglehold the religious establishment already had on the Kingdom's educational and judicial systems, as well as mechanisms of enforcing public morality, as far back as the 1930s and 1940s in reaction to the 1927 establishment of the Kingdom's first precursor of a Ministry of Education. In short, the religious establishment didn't come roaring out of obscurity in the 1980s to push Saudi Arabia back into the dark ages after a period of openness within the context of rapid development driven by oil price spikes in the 1970s. The truth is, the 'ulama had enormous sway under both King Saud in the 1950s and King Faysal in the 1960s and early 70s. They just got an even broader playing field under Fahd in the 80s.
This is the type of careful research and nuanced conclusions that Yizraeli offers in "Politics and Society." It's a rich and rewarding read, if a bit dry, but the sloppy copyediting doesn't do the book's atmospherics any favors.
As just one example, I recall reading in Robert Lacey's "Inside the Kingdom" that the Kingdom experienced a resurgence in the power and influence of the religious establishment in the 1980s under King Fahd, in reaction to the 1979 takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Islamic puritans. I may be misremembering, but my sense was that Lacey cited the takeover as the driving force behind the 'ulama's expanding power. Yizraeli notes that the crisis at the Grand Mosque was certainly a factor that pushed the royal family to yield greater leeway to the 'ulama in the 1980s, but not until she has carefully established the stranglehold the religious establishment already had on the Kingdom's educational and judicial systems, as well as mechanisms of enforcing public morality, as far back as the 1930s and 1940s in reaction to the 1927 establishment of the Kingdom's first precursor of a Ministry of Education. In short, the religious establishment didn't come roaring out of obscurity in the 1980s to push Saudi Arabia back into the dark ages after a period of openness within the context of rapid development driven by oil price spikes in the 1970s. The truth is, the 'ulama had enormous sway under both King Saud in the 1950s and King Faysal in the 1960s and early 70s. They just got an even broader playing field under Fahd in the 80s.
This is the type of careful research and nuanced conclusions that Yizraeli offers in "Politics and Society." It's a rich and rewarding read, if a bit dry, but the sloppy copyediting doesn't do the book's atmospherics any favors.
Displaying 1 of 1 review