Tribes and religion in the formation and consolidation of the Saudi State

Abstract

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has created a state structure from a combination of tribal values, a monarchic governmental elite, and a powerful religious apparatus. This work will analyze the interrelation between these three variables in order to explain the current behavior of the Saudi State, achieving this objective through the anthropological definition of key concepts such as tribes and religion and their adaptation to the Saudi case. The study provides different tools to understand the consolidation of a state through variables that oppose the prevailing vision of modernity and secularism for successful states.