State-Tribe Relations in Mandatory Transjordan

Tribes and State Formation Processes

Abstract

The Jordanian Hashemite monarchy has traditionally enjoyed the support of the tribespeople who are seen as the backbone of the regime. In the Middle East, as a whole, the process of integrating the tribes into the modern state of Jordan was unique in its success. It was achieved almost without violence and allowed tribes to carve out a political role for themselves within the framework of the modern state, in which they developed a clear stake. Nevertheless, the origin of the relationship between the tribes and the state has not yet been satisfactorily explained. This article examines several issues concerning state-tribe relations during the state’s formative period, namely, the period of the British mandate. The line of inquiry focuses on the tribal society’s response to the state formation processes and the central government’s attempt to consolidate its power. This article attempts to challenge the dominant view in the literature according to which tribes were fully subjugated to government’s rule during the early 1930s and since then have played merely a passive role. The main thesis presented here is that notwithstanding the strengthening of the central government, tribes remained formidable political actors and their integration into the state’s structure was a prolonged and dynamic process. The tribes were receptive to many government initiatives and played a major role in the process of state building. The same tribes, however, resisted the way state power tended to undermine their autonomy. The relations between tribe and government resembled a kind of a partnership that allowed for a relatively smooth integration of tribes into the state structure. This special relationship is also a key to understanding the Hashemite monarchy’s resilience.