The Arabisation of the Gulf

In order to be -ised something must not have been that way previously. To speak of the Arabisation of the Gulf, therefore, begs two very important questions. One is what constitutes Arabisation — which depends, in part, on how an Arab identity is defined. In general, such definitions tend to be circular in that an Arab identity is determined by whatever distinguishes those people who are called Arabs by themselves or by others. Modern, nationalist definitions of an Arab identity tend to be cultural or ethnic in nature and to include such matters as language, religion and behavioural norms and values. It is not uncommon for a modern definition of an Arab identity to be retrojected into the past and to identify as Arabs people who may or may not have identified themselves as such. ¹ The possibility remains that definitions of an Arab identity may have been subject to historical change or development, and may have varied geographically, or within the same society. The implicit assumption in this case is that changes in the way a term is used reflect real changes in identity. In what follows an attempt will be made to take such considerations into account because they mean that the nature of Arabisation may have varied according to time or place. Since the earliest references to aribi identify them as pastoralists, Arabisation could be synonymous with Bedouinisation. Arabisation could also be discussed in terms of the spread of the Arabic language or of tribal society.