Conflict in the Middle East is a common topic of conversation and media attention. There is no shortage of theories to explain the protracted and repetitive nature of the struggles there. Common scapegoats are Israel, colonialism, and Western demand for oil, among others. No doubt, complexities exist, just as in every conflict.
Philip Carl Salzman, however, in Culture and Conflict in the Middle East, identifies a key factor beyond those most cited—one that is often overlooked. He states "... understanding these other influences without taking into account Arab culture would be insufficient for appreciating the realities of the central Middle East.”
In this book he undertakes to describe that Arab culture and show how it plays a major role in prolonging the unrest, wars, and divisions that continue to tear at the region.
McGill Anthropology Professor
Salzman, Professor of Anthropology at McGill University in Montreal, has an impressive list of publications to his credit, including many academic articles and textbooks such as Black Tents of Baluchistan. He is also on the Board of Diirectors for Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, a 28,000 member international organization dedicated to seeking peace through "honest debate" and "academic integrity," and by combatting distortions and falsehoods about Israel and Zionism.
With this very readable, non-academic book, Salzman bridges the gap between scholarly and popular literature. He skilfully satisfies the concerns of the reader who wants more than just a surface-skimming of the issues. He addresses the problems of the Middle East with respect for the societies there, with comprehension of the cultural dynamics at work, and with the acknowledgement that although an outsider, he is writing about elements of the situation there that many Middle Easterners themselves are questioning.
Cultural Pattern of Balanced Opposition is Constraining
Early in the book Salzman tells his reader “... social and cultural patterns that I label 'balanced opposition,' which have been so serviceable for Arab Middle Easterners and so important in their history, also impose constraints that inhibit developments in the Middle East that are advocated by some Middle Easterners themselves, and deemed desirable by some external observers as well.”
Here Salzman identifies that this nexus of tribal patterns and the reality of life in a modern world of global influences is the sticking-point to peace in the Middle East. He further details just why this is:
“Balanced opposition emphasizes particular loyalties ...this particularism of loyalties is not consistent with a universalistic normative frame, for example a constitution of rules which is inclusive, applying equally to everyone." Salzman goes on to state that factionalism is the norm, a fact which helps explain the roiling political situation in the Middle East.
Nested Kin Groups
Salzman, in the first half of the book, describes the way of life of the tribal peoplesof the Arab Middle East: how the cultural system developed to create a "nested set of kin groups," from small to large, which have a "collective responsibility" to protect one another. When a confrontation arises, the groups facing one another are of similar size: family versus family, tribe versus tribe, sect versus sect, and finally at the macro level, the Islamic community (umma) versus the Infidel.
Islam Incorporated Tribal Framework
Salzman is careful to show how the "tribal framework" of "us vs. them" was transferred to the new religion of Islam in the seventh century, becoming an integral part of it. In a portentious twist, this new and largest kin group— Islam—now was seen as being "validated by God" and requiring unquestioning loyalty. Even more portentiously, the kin group of Islam, as all other groups in this framework, was "defined by and always stands against 'the other.'"
In the second half of the book, Salzman shows how these loyalties came into play when Islam moved out beyond the Arabian peninsula, violently subduing the indigenous peoples of the newly conquered lands. He presents impeccable sources here which include notables such as Middle East scholar Bat Ye'or and author Andrew Bostom. He further shows how these loyalties continue to play a major part in creating the turmoil which is the hallmark of the present day Middle East, and especially how they play a pivotal role in perpetuating the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Anthropolgical Field Work with the Baluch
Salzman has used anthropological accounts of Arab tribal life from those who lived among Arabs and has also done his own years-long field work among the nomadic tribal people in Iranian Baluchistan, across the Persian Gulf from Arabia. Although he explains that the Bedouins are the main tribal people of the Arab Middle East, Salzman says of the Baluch, " the parallels with the Arab tribes are strong, and I believe that reference to these peoples will prove to be illuminating.”
Scenes from tribal life are lllustrated by several pages of the author's own black-and-white photos; one of a Baluchi tribe on the move is featured on the cover in full color. Despite all the romantic connotations of desert nomadism, the travelers show a toughness distilled down through centuries of tribalism.
When compared to the present state of modern Middle Eastern societies which Salzman says are "uniformly unproductive,oppressive, and full of conflict" these nomads, insofar as they can continue their tribal way of life unimpeded, are more fortunate than their kin whose culture is coming face-to-face with modernity. The author states that their culture has served them well—in the past. However, when transposed to the modern Middle East, with unavoidable and growing global connections, this same tribalism with its "particularist cultural orientation" is a drawback.
Acceptable Subject for Anthropologists?
Anticipating criticism for being an anthropologist who writes of the negative ramifications of the societal structure he is studying, Salzman explains, “ ... the problems and difficulties of the Arab Middle East are a matter of public record." He goes on to say that these are also a matter of discussion among Middle Eastern Arabs themselves—therefore part of their modern culture, and therefore an acceptable subject for anthropologists.
For those who have wondered at the turmoil seemingly endemic to the Middle East, this book will be revealing. Clearly written and scholarly in depth and precision, Culture and Conflict in the Middle East demonstrates the relevance of academic study for current realities.
Salzman concludes with a warning to Middle Easterners that in order to improve their societies they "will have to decide that what they are for ismore important than whom they are against."
Philip Carl Salzman Culture and Conflict in the Middle East Amherst, NY: Humanity Books, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-59102-587-0
Jen L. Jones - Based in Canada, Jones writes on human rights, history,and the natural world. She focuses also on Turkish and Scottish travel and ...
Join the Conversation