Awards
- Winner of Bronze Medal, Washington Institute Book Prize 2015
- Winner of Moonbeam Children's Book Awards: Children's Wellness Award - Bronze Medal 2015
- Winner of Moonbeam Children's Book Awards: Children's Wellness Award - Bronze Medal 2015.
- Winner of One of Monkey Cage's Best Middle East Political Science Books 2014
Overview
Toby Matthiesen traces the politics of the Shia in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia from the nineteenth century until the present day. This book outlines the difficult experiences of being Shia in a Wahhabi state, and casts new light on how the Shia have mobilised politically to change their position. Shia petitioned the rulers, joined secular opposition parties and founded Islamist movements. Most Saudi Shia opposition activists profited from an amnesty in 1993 and subsequently found a place in civil society and the public sphere. However, since 2011 a new Shia protest movement has again challenged the state. The Other Saudis shows how exclusionary state practices created an internal Other and how sectarian discrimination has strengthened Shia communal identities. The book is based on little-known Arabic sources, extensive fieldwork in Saudi Arabia and interviews with key activists. Of immense geopolitical importance, the oil-rich Eastern Province is a crucial but little known factor in regional politics and Gulf security.
Full Product Details
Author: Toby Matthiesen (University of Cambridge)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Volume: 46
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 1.80cm
, Length: 22.70cm
Weight: 0.440kg
ISBN: 9781107618237
ISBN 10: 1107618231
Pages: 292
Publication Date: 22 December 2014
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Professional & Vocational
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Advance praise: 'An extremely powerful analysis of the Shia of Saudi Arabia. Matthiesen lucidly moves between the past and the present with great linguistic and analytical skills that demonstrate panoramic knowledge and in-depth understanding of one of the most complex minority situations in the Arab world. His thoughtful historical account is matched by his familiarity with wider contemporary regional contexts and domestic politics.' Madawi Al-Rasheed, London School of Economics and Political Science Advance praise: 'Matthiesen skillfully fills in a large gap in the literature of Saudi Arabia as well as of modern Muslim politics. Drawing on an impressive range of sources, he expertly documents both the enduring power of the regime and portentous transformations in communal identity and authority. This detailed and thoughtful study of the Kingdom's Shia will become the standard work on an increasingly important subject.' James Piscatori, University of Durham Advance praise: 'Matthiesen's book is based on an impressive work of data collection. It mixes the analysis of previously unexploited archival material with fieldwork to offer an insightful and compelling picture of Shiism in Saudi Arabia. It definitely fills a vacuum in our knowledge of contemporary Shiism.' Laurence Louer, Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris
Author Information
Toby Matthiesen is a research fellow in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.
