Description
Book SynopsisThe book is a study of political development in Bahrain during the first five years after its independence in 1971. It is based on field research done by the author as the first senior Fulbright scholar in that country. The book was banned in Bahrain for 30 years but was allowed to be published in Arabic in that country in 2006. The study focuses on the tribal structure of Bahraini society and the rule of a minority Sunni government by al-Khalifa family over a largely disenfranchised Shia majority. To examine the making of the new state, the book analyzes the nature and characteristics of the Bahraini tribal society, the educational system of modern Bahrain, the nature of the political system, and popular demands for participation in decision making. The book also examines the making of the new constitution, the first ever national election to both the Constitutional Assembly and the National Assembly, and the electoral campaigns and candidates. The book also discusses the restrictions
Trade ReviewBahrain, a small yet geopolitically prized and culturally complex country has been propelled to the headlines, but Emile Nakhleh was there first. His seminal account of Bahrain's political development brims with insights every bit as topical as today's news. I was not surprised to learn that the Arabic translation of the volume is much respected in Bahrain. Nakhleh's extensive fieldwork began not long after the Gulf state won independence. His intricate, richly detailed accounts of political socialization, government institutions and practices, as well as associational life remain relevant. Any serious reader interested in Gulf politics will want to have Nakhleh's rewarding study of Bahrain at hand, particularly to understand how political power and influence are sustained and wielded. -- Augustus Richard Norton, Boston University
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Education and Bahrain's Political Development Chapter 3. Communication and Political Socialization: The Role of the Clubs and the Press Chapter 4. Labor and Political Development Chapter 5. Foreign Policy and Political Development Chapter 6. Toward a Democratic Structure: The Constitutional Assembly Chapter 7. The First National Election and the Formation of the Constitutional Assembly Chapter 8. Conclusion: Toward a Functional Model of Urban Tribalism
