At first glance, the title of miriam cooke’s 2014 book Tribal Modern seems to be an oxymoron. “Tribal” invokes images of the archaic, the traditional, and the rudimentary, while “modern” is associated with the new, the dynamic, and the technological. The driving argument of cooke’s book, however, is that the two are not, in fact, mutually exclusive. In the Arab Gulf, she explains, tribal bloodlines, hierarchies, and traditions are being upheld alongside technological and cultural advances. Through the metaphor of the barzakh, and the inclusion of artwork from the region, cooke thoroughly covers several spheres where the tribal coexists with the modern and dispels the myth that such cohesion is impossible.
The term barzakh comes “from the Qur’an where it depicts simultaneous mixing and separation in two dimensions: metaphysical and physical. The undiluted convergences between this life and the hereafter and between salt and sweet water…” (10) cooke parallels the presence of the tribal and the modern in the Arab Gulf to the Qur’anic barzakh: a space where the two can mix without either being lost. By presenting this metaphor early on, cooke helps the reader understand where the rest of her book is going, and it provides an excellent visual to accompany her argument as she explains barzakh architecture, dress, work, familial relations, and more.
cooke further strengthens her argument by filling each chapter of her book with artwork produced by local artists. Because cooke herself is not native to the Gulf, rather, an outside researcher, the inclusion of poetry, photography, and fine arts by Gulf artists allows her readers to gain the perspectives of those who live in the barzakh. Some of this artwork rejects the modern and encourages the tribal, such as these poetic words by Kuwaiti writer Saud Al Sabah:
“My country
Put down the currencies bulletin, leave the stock exchange
And join the Arab forces” (115)
Written in response to obsessions with wealth and oil, Al Sabah clearly desires a return to more traditional sources of livelihood and a commitment to intra-Arab relations and culture. Conversely, other writers have written disparagingly about more tribal aspects of Gulf culture. Depictions of pearl diving, for instance, have been sanitized and romanticized for media in modern times. Artists and poets like Shurooq Amin, however, are working to ensure that the true narrative of pearl diving is kept alive: a dangerous, often life-threatening occupation undertaken by those who had no other means of livelihood in the pre-oil era. Here is an excerpt from Amin’s heartbreaking poem about pearl diving:
“…tell me, son,
as you lie
heartbeat-less
on my deck
how to spare
your mother
these tidings.” (111)
Including these artistic perspectives is what pushes cooke’s work beyond a simple academic research project. It allows her book to encompass numerous perspectives on the struggle to preserve and cherish the tribal while constantly pursuing the modern. From the observance of Gulf artwork over time the reader can infer that the tribal modern barzakh is not static; it ebbs and flows and grows and adapts as circumstances and norms change not only in the Arab world but in the global context. It includes many different voices and opinions as tribal customs dictate life in the modern world.
Perhaps my one critique of Tribal Modern is the lack of perspectives given by those who are excluded from the tribal lifestyle of the Gulf. In the first chapter, cooke discusses how migrant workers from Iran, Pakistan, India, and other parts of Asia came to the Gulf for work but found themselves trapped: unable to obtain citizenship in the Gulf because of tribal priorities, but also unable to afford to return to their homelands. As the book progressed, I felt that I hadn’t learned much about these dispossessed peoples. I believe that their voices, stories, and artwork would have been a welcome addition to the barzakh narrative.
Overall I enjoyed reading cooke’s book. I had no idea that Gulf tribal connections and culture had persevered in the face of luxury resorts and sprawling shopping malls, and I found the format of Tribal Modern accessible. Perhaps this is because I enjoy artwork, and this book relies significantly on artwork to make its argument. I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about how the tribal and the modern can not only coexist but thrive off of one another.
I first learned about Barzakh in a class on the Qur’an I took last semester, though I had never thought about it in relation to modern Arab culture. It sounds like Prof. cooke provides an interesting comparison – I’ll have to check it out.