Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a major player on the international stage, and the site of Islam’s two holiest cities. It is also one of the world’s few absolute monarchies. How did Saudi Arabia get to where it is today? Saudi specialist David Commins, a professor of history at Dickinson College, offers an overview of the history of Saudi Arabia from oasis emirate to present-day attempts to leap to a post-petroleum economy. He traces how the Saud dynasty’s reliance on sectarianism, foreign expertise, and petroleum to stabilize power has unintentionally spawned secular and religious movements seeking accountability and justice. Commins surveys the experiences of activists, women, religious minorities, Bedouin, and expatriate workers as the country transformed from subsistence agrarian life to urban consumer society and provides a portrait of Saudi Arabia’s complex and evolving story—and of a country that is often misunderstood.
His book Saudi Arabia: A Modern History (Yale University Press) is available for purchase.
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