300x230mm, 192 pages, Hardback
ISBN: 9781-917045-06-3 Price: £27.50 Available: October 2024 Not yet published - Launching October 2024
God's Gift to the Bedouin |
GOD'S GIFT TO THE BEDOUIN
The Camel Traditions of the People of Oman By Dr Ibtisam Al-Wahaibi A fascinating study tracing the central role camels play in the education and growth of many young rural Omanis
“God’s Gift to the Bedouin is an apt title for this charming and carefully constructed memoir of a childhood lived among the camel-herding Wahibi Bedouin in the easternmost desert of Oman, combined with an ethnography of camel ownership and how it has been adapted, continuing to be engrained as an essential part of Bedouin society and culture.” Many Omanis form such a strong emotional connection with their favourite camel that they adopt the name of the animal as part of their own social identity. This close bond between a person and their beloved camel demonstrates the significance of camels in their daily lives. It also shows the necessity of understanding these links in order to comprehend cultural customs and beliefs.
Dr Al-Wahaibi illustrates how camels experience emotions similar to humans. “Some of my camels have egos!” owners will say – the most commonly mentioned traits quoted are pride and shame. God’s Gift to the Bedouin explores how a child’s ownership of a camel dramatically impacts their personal growth, most noticeably their self-reliance. This fascinating anthropological study draws on a living vein of Oman’s anthropology and heritage. Table of Contents
Acknowledgements § Chapter 1: What prompted me to write this book and how I went about it § Chapter 2: People of Oman and people of the camel § Chapter 3: Camel racing § Chapter 4: Children and camels § Chapter 5: Camel as a person § Chapter 6: Conclusion § References |
About the Author
Dr Ibtisam Al-Wahaibi is from the Wahaibi family in the eastern area of Oman. She is Head of the Business Communication unit at the College of Economics and Political Science at Sultan Qaboos University. She completed her Phd at the University of Sheffield in Communication and Management field and holds two masters degrees in corporate communication from the University of Bond in Australia. She also spent time at the University of Sussex in the UK in 2021, during which period God's Gift to the Bedouin was initially drafted. Ibtisam has published a number of research papers in academic journals about socio-cultural anthropology of Omani bedouins focusing on human relations with camels and she has presented her work on the anthropology of bedouin societies at a wide range of international conferences in Europe and Asia. She is certified trainer from the university of Arizona and work as a trainer at the Royal academy of Management. |
