ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses several seemingly contradictory trends among pastoral nomads in the Middle East. It deals with the effects of the economic development of the region in decades and explores the persistence of traditional frameworks and economic pursuits in spite of the vast economic changes. Economic and political conditions are insecure, and people are aware that they are likely to lose their urban jobs at any time. Some nomads achieve a large measure of economic security in town and break away from the tribe: they neglect the kinsmen they left behind, their herds and gardens, and even their tribal friends in town. The wage labourers of the tribe reside in shanty towns located on the fringe of cities, among members of their tribe. “The link between the local groups of migrant labourers and their tribe is even more pronounced among nomads who actually possess a tribal territory.
