Community and Autonomy in Southern Oman

ISBN-13: 9783030170066 / Angielski / Miękka / 2020 / 266 str.

Marielle Risse

Spis treści

Dedication.

Acknowledgements.

Preface.

The Impetus for Writing

This Book                  

My Three Worlds

References

Chapter 1:  Language, Culture, Methodology and Literature Review.

Introduction

Gibali Language

The Culture/not Culture Argument

My Research/ Gibali Language

Methodology 

Representation/Reciprocation

Self-monitoring - Synder

Moral imagination - Bromwich

Literature Review

Overview

Anthropology

Other Texts

Writing on Men and Women in Arabia     

References

Chapter 2:  Situating Gibalis: Governance, History, Religion and Tribes.

Macro- Issues: History and Geography

Brief Overview of Omani History

Dhofar Coast - Early History

Dhofar - Modern History

Overview of Dhofar War (1965-1975)

The Dhofari View

Arab Spring, 2011

The Arab Spring in Dhofar

Recent views of the Omani Government

Macro-issues: Governance

Hakuma - External Politics

Hakuma - Sultan Qaboos

Hakuma - Majlis Oman

Hakuma - Laws

Macro-Issues: Religion

Religious Openness

Religion and Time - Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly/ Yearly

Religion and Public Performance

Religion and Private Beliefs

Macro-Issues: Tribes

Overview

Tribes - Sheikhs

Tribes in Dhofar - Divisions

“The Quality of the Bearable”

Gibalis -  Population

Overview of Gibali Life

Gibali - Hakli

Dhofar as Compared to Neighbors    

Non-Omanis in Dhofar

References

Chapter 3: Community/Autonomy in Daily Life: People and Places

Introduction

Hypothetical Typical Day

Differences Between Town and Mountain Life

Leveling

Care Circles - Personal/ Communal Control of Time

Care Circles - “Good”/ “Pressure”

Community/ Autonomy - Cycle of Life

Overview of Childhood - Growing Up - Aging

Childhood - Socializing

Childhood - Attention

Gibali Childhood

Growing Up

Aging

The Religious Implications of Community/ Autonomy

Quality of the Bearable - Carrying

Quality of the Bearable - Letting Go

Hasanat

Community/ Autonomy - Houses

Houses - Town

Gibali Houses

House -  From Public to Private/ From Private to Public

Community/ Autonomy - Clothes

Gibali Clothing

Clothing and Religious Faith

Community/ Autonomy - Public Spaces

Banks - Women in Public Spaces

Stores - Care Circles

Restaurants - Communal Culture/ Patience

Cafes - Rules of Greeting

Village/ Mountain/ Beach Cafes

Women in Cafes

References

Chapter 4:  Community/Autonomy in Daily Life: Practices and Perceptions.

Introduction

Community/ Autonomy - Daily Practices

Talking on Phones

Driving

Fishing

Finding a Marriage Partner

Community/ Autonomy: Spontaneity

Community/ Autonomy: Mobility

Community/ Autonomy: Authority

Community/ Autonomy: Conversation

Community/ Autonomy: Knowledge

Community/ Autonomy: Oath-Taking

W-Allāh 

Other Kinds of Swearing

Community/ Autonomy: Fatalism

Note on Vocabulary

References

Chapter 5: Community/Autonomy: Honor and Self-Respect.

Independence and Honor in Motion

Live and Let Live

Self-Respect = Self-Control

Self-Control: Putting Others at Ease

Self-Control: Not Showing Fear

Community/ Autonomy: Dealing with Rudeness

Judging Intentionality

Reacting to Rudeness

“No One Insults Me”: The Circular Reasoning of Self-Control/ Self-Respect

Teaching Self-Control/ Self-Respect

The Final Punishment

References

Chapter 6: "Why Would I Hurt a Woman?": The Absence of Honor Killing in Gibali Culture.

Introduction - Gathering Knowledge on Gibali Male/ Female Interactions

Interacting with Gibali Men

Interacting with Gibali Women

Highlighting Independence - Comparison with Yemen

Honor Killing - Historical Background

Honor Killing - Historical Examples from Oman  

Centrality of Self-Respect and Autonomy

The Absence of Honor Killing in Gibali Culture: Moderation

The Absence of Honor Killing in Gibali Culture: An “Independent Spirit”

Note on Vocabulary 

References

Chapter 7: Generosity and Gifts in Gibali Culture.

Introduction

Gifts - Definition

Non-gifts - Tangible

Wedding Money

Mutual Possessions

Non-Gifts - Intangible

Asking for a Gift

Accepting

Pay-back

Generosity - Comparisons

Generosity, Gifts and Independence

References

Coda.

O autorze

Marielle Risse, Ph.D., has lived and worked in Oman for over 12 years, teaching literature, culture and education at the university level. She has presented at the conferences of the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies, Middle Eastern Studies Association, Royal Geographical Society, British Foundation for the Study of Arabia, American Comparative Literature Association, and the Modern Language Association. Her work has been published in the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, Pedagogy, Journeys, Ariel, Interdisciplinary Humanities, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Washington Post.

Blurb

This book explores how there is latitude for people to make their own choices and how the chances to assert independence change over time in a Muslim, Arab, tribal culture. The book first gives a brief overview of day-to-day life in the Dhofar region of southern Oman, then focuses on how the traits of self-control and self-respect are linked in the everyday actions of several groups of tribes who speak Gibali (Jibbali, also known as Shari/Śḥeret), a non-written, Modern South Arabian language. Although no work can express the totality of a culture, this text describes how Gibalis are constantly shifting between preserving autonomy and signaling membership in family, tribal, and national communities. The work reflects observations and conclusions from over ten years of research into the history and culture of the Dhofar region along with longstanding, deep involvement with both men and women in the Gibali community.