Bahrain
Political Development in a Modernizing Society- Authors:
- Publisher:
- 2011
Summary
The book is a study of political development in Bahrain during the first five years after its independence in 1971. It is based on field research done by the author as the first senior Fulbright scholar in that country. The book was banned in Bahrain for 30 years but was allowed to be published in Arabic in that country in 2006. The study focuses on the tribal structure of Bahraini society and the rule of a minority Sunni government by al-Khalifa family over a largely disenfranchised Shia majority. To examine the making of the new state, the book analyzes the nature and characteristics of the Bahraini tribal society, the educational system of modern Bahrain, the nature of the political system, and popular demands for participation in decision making. The book also examines the making of the new constitution, the first ever national election to both the Constitutional Assembly and the National Assembly, and the electoral campaigns and candidates. The book also discusses the restrictions on freedoms of speech and assembly, the denial of women the right to vote, the banning of political parties and the role of clubs as surrogate political gathering places, the exclusion of the Shia majority from the economic and political centers of power, and the absence of government accountability and transparency. The February 20ll popular uprising in Bahrain underscores some of the key challenges discussed in the book, especially the autocratic nature of the regime and the urgency of political reform for domestic stability.
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Bibliographic data
- Copyright year
- 2011
- ISBN-Print
- 978-0-7391-6858-5
- ISBN-Online
- 978-1-4617-3948-7
- Publisher
- Lexington, Lanham
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 194
- Product type
- Book Titles
Table of contents
- Contents No access
- List of Tables No access
- Preface No access
- Preface to the 2011 Edition No access
- Chapter 1 Introduction No access Pages 1 - 12
- Chapter 2 Education and Bahrain's Political Development No access Pages 13 - 38
- Chapter 3 Communication and Political Socialization: The Role of the Clubs and the Press No access Pages 39 - 74
- Chapter 4 Labor and Political Development No access Pages 75 - 94
- Chapter 5 Foreign Policy and Political Development No access Pages 95 - 116
- Chapter 6 Toward a Democratic Structure: The Constitutional Assembly No access Pages 117 - 132
- Chapter 7 The First National Election and the Formation of the Constitutional Assembly No access Pages 133 - 164
- Chapter 8 Conclusion: Toward a Functional Model of Urban Tribalism No access Pages 165 - 168
- Epilogue No access Pages 169 - 170
- Notes No access Pages 171 - 178
- Bibliography No access Pages 179 - 188
- Index No access Pages 189 - 192
- About the Author No access Pages 193 - 194





