Role Of Women In Bedouins and Nomadic Tribes

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even into the nomadic tribes of the desert and the rainforests. It examines how these changes have affected the communal relations among the groups and if modernity had effects on their existing gender ideals, and how these ethnic groups have responded.

Social Organization among the Awlad 'Ali

Unlike Western society, the Bedouins do not place a great emphasis on the individual. In fact, blood ties serve to link people to the past and "bind them in the present" (41). Members of the Bedouins could trace their lineage back to genealogy, and these blood ties form an important part of their identity. In traditional Bedouin society, outsiders perceive thus people of the same kin interchangeably, and the way one kin member acts or is treated reflects on the entire group.
The foundation of honor in Bedouin society is based on the concept of asl. It is interesting to note that asl is closely linked with a person's genealogy as well. As with the ancient Chinese, who regarded ...

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their elders are lacking in hasham and could be subject to disciplinary action (Abu-Lughod 117).
Despite these restrictions, there are spaces for dissent. Some older women, for example, were appreciative of girls who were lively and bright, the precise opposite of the idealized woman who is deferential to everyone. As in many Westernized civilizations, Bedouin society is rife with conflicting values regarding the behavior of women.
In many ways, the gender differences in Bedouin society are readily recognizable to a Westernized observer. Being male is associated with authority while being female is associated with dependency and the restraint of hasham. Abu-Lughod further observes ...

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