Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia (Cultures and Customs of the World)

159 Pages·2005·32.244 MB·English

by  David E. Long

CULTURE AND CUSTOMS
OF SAUDI ARABIA

CULTUREAND CUSTOMS OF
SAUDI ARABIA
David E. Long
David E. Long
Culture and Customs of the Middle East
Culture and Customs of the Middle East
GREENWOOD PRESS
wESTPORT, cONNECTICUT .
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Long, David E.
Culture and customs of Saudi Arabia / David E. Long.
p. cm. — (Cultures and customs of the Middle East, ISSN 1550-1310)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-313-32021-7
1. Saudi Arabia—Social life and customs. 2. Civilization, Islamic.
I. Title. II. Series
GN635.S28L66 2005
306'.09538—dc22 2005003525
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2005 by David E. Long
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005003525
ISBN: 0-313-32021-7
ISSN: 1550-1310
First published in 2005
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
@r
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48—1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Series Foreword vii
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xi
Chronology xiii
1. Introduction: Land, People, and History 1
2. Traditional Islamic Culture and Modernization 17
3. The Extended Family Roles 35
4. Cuisine and Dress 47
5. Social Customs, Rites of Passage, and Holidays 63
6. Communication and Mass Media 81
7. Artistic Expression 91
Glossary 111
Bibliography 115
Index 119
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Series Foreword
At last! Culture and Customs of the Middle East fills a deep void in reference liter
ature by providing substantial individual volumes on crucial countries in the
explosive region. The series is available at a critical juncture, with, among other
events, the recent war on Iraq, the continued wrangling by U.S. interests for con
trol of regional oil resources, the quest for Palestinian independence, and the
spread of religious fundamentalist violence and repression. The authoritative,
objective, and engaging cultural overviews complement and balance the volley
of news bites.
As with the other Culture and Customs series, the narrative focus is on con
temporary culture and life, in a historical context. Each volume is written for stu
dents and general readers by a country expert. Contents include:
Chronology
Context, including land, people, and brief historical overview
Religion and world view
Literature
Media
Cinema
Art and architecture/housing
Cuisine and dress
Gender, marriage, and family
Social customs and lifestyle
Music and dance
viii Series Foreword
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Photos and country map
Preface
This book is a part of a series of country studies and, so far as I am aware, is the
first attempt at a cultural overview of Saudi Arabia. In the absence of social sci
ence research on Saudi Arabia until relatively recent times, there are sections
about which I have had to depend to a great extent on personal materials col
lected over the years. Information on other sections is more available, but is the
domain of specialists and has required some digging for a generalist such as
myself. I am sure that there is something in every chapter that can be challenged
by a true specialist, whether a professor, a performer, or a home cook. A more dif
ficult challenge, however, was attempting to characterize for a general audience a
little known and less understood non-Western culture that is changing so rapidly.
As one of the most conservative traditional societies in the world grapples with
the impact of modernization wrought by the influx of great oil wealth that began
only in the mid-twentieth century, Saudi culture is in a constant state of flux.
The principal motive in writing this book was not just to fill a gap in what is
known about Saudi Arabia, but to contribute in some small way to a greater
understanding of a proud though closed society that circumstances have caused
to play such an important role in world affairs. Understanding behavior within
one's own culture is difficult enough, but when the culture gap is as wide as that
between Western cultures and traditional Saudi Islamic culture, the task is infi
nitely more difficult. It is even harder given the fact that Saudi culture is chang
ing before our eyes. It is my hope that this book can help the reader to see the
world of Saudi Arabia through Saudi glasses rather than through the mirror of
their own cultural norms and biases.