ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that kingship in contemporary Arab Muslim-majority countries has helped address specific post-colonial tensions around the official role of religion, a popular interest in steering a political path distinct from the formal institutional makeup of former colonial powers, and dilemmas of political continuity and change. It discusses the basic history and post-independence adaption of contemporary Arab monarchy. The chapter looks at the institutions and methods of legitimation that have allowed permutations of an ‘old-fashioned’ ruling dynastic monarchy to endure, while paying attention to variation among different contemporary Arab royal regimes. It deals with reflections on what the endurance of Arab monarchies suggests for monarchies and more seemingly modern forms of government. The traditional Arab-led caliphate had been dead for centuries, the failure of the non-Arab Ottoman version of the caliphate was comparatively fresh in historical memory and national boundaries were beginning to consolidate.
