Synopses & Reviews
At the beginning of the 20th Century Jordan, like much of the Middle East, was a loose collection of tribes. By the time of its independence in 1946 it had the most firmly embedded state structures in the Arab world. Drawing on previously untapped sources, Yoav Alon examines how the disparate clan networks of Jordan were integrated into the Hashemite monarchy, with the help of the British colonial administrators. Looking at the growth of key state institutions from a grassroots perspective, Alon shows how they co-opted the structures of tribal society, and produced a distinctive hybrid between modern statehood and tribal confederacy which still characterizes Jordan to this day. Alons innovative approach to the origins of modern Jordan provides fresh insights not only into Jordan itself but into colonialism, modernity and the development of the state in the Middle East.
Review
“The product of extensive research and impeccable scholarship….the best account we have”--Avi Shlaim, St Antonys College, Oxford
Peter Bergen - Gilles Kepel - John Gray - New Statesman - Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam - Holy War, Inc.
Review
“The product of extensive research and impeccable scholarship….the best account we have”--Avi Shlaim, St Antonys College, Oxford
Review
"The product of extensive research and impeccable scholarship….the best account we have"--Professor Avi Shlaim, St Antony's College, Oxford
"The scholarship is superb. Alon brings together a wide range of historical sources, in English, Arabic and Hebrew, many of which have never been used before, and offers a sophisticated, in-depth analysis of state formation in the mandate years."--Professor Andrew Shyrock, University of Michigan
"An impressive piece of work..a subtle study that gives due emphasis to the shifting complexities of its subject whilst emaining readable and accessible"--Dr. Philip Robins, St. Antony's College, Oxford
"[Making of Jordan] is extremely well researched and documented, and will serve as a valuable resource in the library of any serious student of Middle Eastern colonial history." -- Steven C. Dinero, Philadelphia University
About the Author
Yoav Alon is a Lecturer in Middle Eastern History at the University of Tel Aviv
Table of Contents
* Preface * Maps * Introduction: The Study of State, Tribe and Colonial Rule in Jordan * Between Two Empires: Transjordan on the Eve of Abdullah's Arrival * 'Bedu Amir' or Constitutional Monarch? The Struggle for the Nature of the Emirate, 1921-1924 * The Making of a Colonial State, 1924-1930 * Colonialism as a Fine Art: Glubb Pasha and the Desert Tribes, 1928-1936 * State Consolidation and Tribal Participation, 1930-1946 * Conclusion: Towards an Appraisal of the Mandate's Legacy in Jordan * Glossary: Tribes and Shaykhs * Notes * Bibliography * Index *