Introduction: The Concept of Tribe in the Anthropology of Yemen (original) (raw)

B r a n d t in Yemen, "tribe" (qabīlah) is a historically rooted, emic concept of social representation, even though the polymorphism and ambiguity of the term tribe render the formulation of a universally applicable definition almost impossible. Rooted in remotest antiquity, over the last centuries the concept of tribe in Yemen has undergone transformations, but also featured aspects of longevity and continuity. today, with the emergence of massive political change, the eruption of popular uprisings, internal conflict, external military intervention and the associated weakness of the state, tribalism seems to be gaining in importance once again, filling in part the void created by the retreating state. It is these present-day