What It Means to be Bedouin: The Clash of Tribal and Modern Values as Illustrated by Al–Hizam [The Belt], by Saudi Writer Ahmed Abu Dahaman

DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L31264

Authors: Miral al-Tahawy

Abstract: The desert was not just created in the imaginative worlds, narrative spaces and existential images of Arabic writing – it emerged from Arabic cultural traditions, customs, as well as its general and distinctive writing patterns.
Al-Hizam [The Belt], by Ahmed Abu Dahman, is one example of the desert novel form. As such, it penetrates the world of tribal law, which derives power from tribal customs. Dahman’s novel addresses the issue of the belt worn by Bedouin men as part of their costume and, more specifically, the significance this metaphor plays as a symbol of manliness, authority and possession. The text reveals the symbolic significance of the belt and unveils the concept of manhood and femininity, the division of their roles in the tribal society, and the social development that takes place within that tribal society. The belt’s significance begins with education, and exploring the social implications of modernity as it threatens social norms and deeply rooted custom. The focal point crisis is that of the tribe confronting the city – a crisis of identity at a crucial historical moment. In addition, the novel portends the changing roles of women in light of the new variable: encroaching modernity.

Keywords: Al-Hizam, The Belt, Arabic writing, desert novel, desert imagery, Bedouin desert, Bedouin, tribal society, identity, symbols, modernity, roles.