ABSTRACT
Courtiers were indispensable for a leader like al-ib, but we have yet to discuss their functions and functioning in greater detail. The hierarchical gap between the superior and the inferior at the court, and the problem which the intimacy between the two parties created for the former was clearly seen from the perspective of the courtier as well. The interaction patterns between al-ib and his courtiers are inseparable from the court institution. Norbert Elias looked at the medieval European court as a specific social configuration that brought about a change in the psychological make-up of its members, constructing the civilized personality. The success or failure of agents in a given social setting may be normally explained by their own performance vis--vis the accepted hegemonic rules. The concept of habitus as elaborated and used by the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu makes an efficient analytic tool for studying the navigation and success or failure of an agent in literary field.
