National Entity - Tribal Diversity:Tribes and State in Oman

Swiss Diploma Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 6, University of Zurich (Ethnologisches Seminar), language: English, abstract: This master thesis evaluates and analyses the interrelationship of tribes and the Omani state formation, hence the role and importance of tribes in peoples everyday life in comparison with the awareness of tribes on the official side. It brings into focus three main aspects: First, an accurate definition of tribe is given. Although it is widely discussed in literature what one has to understand by tribe, this thesis mainly pinpoint the ideas and opinions of how Omani citizens apprehend their tribal identity and how they define what a tribe is. In a second step, the importance of tribal identity in peoples everyday life is evaluated. In a time where such tremendous social changes have occurred, as has been the case in Oman, where people experience prosperity and wealth and where globalising issues influence especially the younger generations, it is of considerable interest to find out what role tribal identity plays (or does not play). Third, a fuller understanding of the perception of tribes on the official side contributes to the actual debate in social science about tribes and state formation in the Middle East and examine the situation in Oman.