Between Desert and State: Power Relations and Balance Between Tradition and Modernity Among the Zalabieh Bedouins of Wadi Rum Desert

A 22-month ethnographic study of the Zalabieh Bedouins in Wadi Rum, Jordan, reveals a dual identity marked by balanced opposition between their role as desert nomads and their integration into state institutions. The research demonstrates how these Bedouins, trusted for their loyalty and integrity, serve in the army and police while simultaneously challenging state authority on key issues. Camel races and tourism emerge as cultural practices that both reinforce Bedouin identity and construct 'otherness,' with a comparative analysis to Balinese cockfights highlighting their symbolic significance. The study also explores how spatial dynamics within the desert environment shape their existential identities, integrating biological, environmental, and social dimensions.

Marinaki, K. (2021). Between Desert and State: Power Relations and Balance Between Tradition and Modernity Among the Zalabieh Bedouins of Wadi Rum Desert. Social Sciences, 10(3), 140. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20211003.19