56 pages • 1 hour read
Lila Abu-LughodVeiled Sentiments
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1986A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Cultural Context: The Awlad ‘Ali Bedouin people
The Bedouin are Arabic-speaking nomadic peoples from deserts in the Middle East. The Awlad ‘Ali are a cluster of Bedouin people who live in North Africa, particularly Egypt. Their primary religion is Islam. Most Bedouin are pastoral nomads who herd animals, including camels, so they move around to allow their animals to graze on fresh pastures. Their movement follows weather patterns, as they leave the desert in the dryer summer and return to the desert in the rainier winter.
In Veiled Sentiments, Abu-Lughod explores the patriarchal structure of the Awlad ‘Ali. Bedouin society is patriarchal, and men often have several wives (this practice is called polygyny). Abu-Lughod records some women being unhappy about their polygynous situation in the text. Furthermore, men are the heads of their families. The Bedouin are also tribal, and their society comprises several extended families. Family loyalty and ancestry are important parts of Bedouin culture, as are hospitality and honor.
The growth of government authorities and modern nations in the Middle East has led to a decline in traditional Bedouin ways of living. Many of their homelands have been nationalized, and new international borders also limit Bedouin nomadism. However, many sedentary Bedouin people still partake in and celebrate aspects of their culture, such as oral poetry and sword dancing. Furthermore, Abu-Lughod finds that many Awlad ‘Ali are unphased by such changes since they still inherit aṣl, their set of moral virtues passed down through the bloodline, and they also view the changes in their lifestyles as voluntary.
Methodological Context: Ethnography
Veiled Sentiments is an ethnography, which is a branch of anthropology. It entails studying a culture by becoming an active participant in that culture, in however a marginal way, and observing and documenting cultural phenomena. Abu-Lughod connects this anthropological method with part of Awlad ‘Ali culture, ‘ishra (living with), since there are many coresidents in Awlad ‘Ali culture who may not share kin with the people with whom they live but point out links between them and develop “kinlike bonds of enduring sentiments of closeness” (63). Abu-Lughod reflects on the bonds that she shares with people with whom she has been a coresident while being an observer participant.
One of the critiques of ethnography is that the presence of an outsider may cause the natural happenings of a culture to change. Abu-Lughod acknowledges this in Veiled Sentiments since she is a Palestinian-American woman. She acknowledges that she attempts to “dissociate [herself] as much as possible from Americans” to build trust and commonality with the Awlad ‘Ali people (18). Another limitation of ethnographic research is the possibility of either researchers or members of the group being studied encountering stigma. Abu-Lughod is an unmarried woman, so she is warmly accepted by other women but finds it more difficult to have open conversations with men.
Another criticism of ethnography is that it began as a colonialist method carried out by largely white, male Europeans to study cultures they viewed as “other.” Some critics argue that it is an “extractivist” approach that views people as “objects and sources of data” (“Statement on Anthropology, Colonialism, and Racism.” Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania). There have been many calls to decolonize ethnography in recent years. In her afterword written 30 years after publication, Abu-Lughod acknowledges some of these power dynamics by describing herself as a protector of the knowledge she has gained and discussing her discomfort with speaking for people of this culture.
