Refining the Common Good: Oil, Islam and Politics in Gulf Monarchies

How has Islam as a set of beliefs and practices shaped the allocation of oil revenues in Arab Gulf monarchies? In turn, how has oil wealth impacted the role of Islamic doctrine in politics? Refining the Common Good explores the relationship between Islamic norms and the circulation of oil wealth in Gulf monarchies. The study demonstrates how both oil (revenues) and Islam (as doctrine) are manipulated as tools of state power, and how religious norms are refined for the sake of achieving narrow secular interests. Miriam R. Lowi examines different institutionalized practices financed by hydrocarbon revenues and sanctioned, either implicitly or explicitly, by Islam, and uses evidence from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia to show how these practices are infused with political purpose. The dynamic relationship between oil wealth and Islamic doctrine is exploited to contribute to the management and control of society, and the consolidation of dynastic autocracy.- Explores the development of politics and statecraft in the Arab Gulf monarchies, focusing on oil and Islam as the region's two principal resources- Analyzes extensive interview material from a broad cross-section of Gulf society, alongside further methods of data gathering- Provides insights into the various institutionalized practices harnessed by ruling elites in the Arab Gulf monarchiesTablesAcknowledgmentsNote on TransliterationMap of Gulf Monarchies and Neighboring States1 - Oil and Islam in the Gulf2 - Islamic Norms, Interpretations, Applications3 - The State and the Political Economy of Distribution4 - Society Responds5 - Imported LaborBuilding/Appeasing the Nation6 - Charity as Politics “Writ Small”7 - Islamic Banking and FinanceA Political Economy of Accumulation8 - Reflections on Islam and Politics in the Oil EraAppendixBibliographyIndex Frontmatter Dedication Contents Tables Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration Map of Gulf Monarchies and Neighboring States 1 - Oil and Islam in the Gulf 2 - Islamic Norms, Interpretations, Applications 3 - The State and the Political Economy of Distribution 4 - Society Responds 5 - Imported Labor Building/Appeasing the Nation 6 - Charity as Politics “Writ Small” 7 - Islamic Banking and Finance A Political Economy of Accumulation 8 - Reflections on Islam and Politics in the Oil Era Appendix Bibliography Index Series page