Arab women 1995 : trends, statistics, indicators /
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At head of title : United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia [and] CAWTAR.
"Distr. general E/ESCWA/STAT/1997/3."
"The Arab Centre for Development and Futuristic Research in Cairo was commissioned by ESCWA to undertake the analysis..." -- page xi.
"United Nations publication sales no. 97.II.L.12" -- Title page verso. :
xi, 126 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm. :
Bibliography : pages 123-126.
The Animal Names of the Arab Ancestors : Explaining the Non-human Names of Arab Kinship Groups, Volume 2-1 Appendices /
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In the Arab world, people belong to kinship groups (lineages and tribes). Many lineages are named after animals, birds, and plants. Why? This survey evaluates five old explanations - "totemism," "emulation of predatory animals," "ancestor eponymy," "nicknaming," and "Bedouin proximity to nature." It suggests a new hypothesis: Bedouin tribes use animal names to obscure their internal cleavages. Such tribes wax and wane as they attract and lose allies and clients; they include "attached" elements as well as actual kin. To prevent outsiders from spotting "attached" groups, Bedouin tribes scatter non-human names across their segments, making it difficult to link any segment with a human ancestor. Young's argument contributes to theories of tribal organization, Arab identity, onomastics, and Near Eastern kinship.
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1 online resource (450 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004690400