ABSTRACT
This chapter examines and explains the socio-economic situation in which pastoral nomads, the bedouin, find themselves in present-day Saudi Arabia. At present, mid-point in the period of the second development plan, Saudi Arabia's economy is essentially dualistic, consisting of two interacting systems what we might call the modern and the traditional. The modern economic system includes some industry, elements of large-scale modernised agriculture, financial and other services, capital-intensive trade and government. As Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its modern economic system it is essential that its own human resources be developed in such a way as significantly to contribute to and benefit from the development of the modern economy. The chapter draws attention to the bedouin of Saudi Arabia within the general context of the total society in which they exist. It is evident that the role of the contemporary bedouin can only be understood within the context of the wider socio-economic framework.
