States of Subsistence: The Politics of Bread in Contemporary Jordan (Stanford Studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic Societies and Cultures)

On any given day in Jordan, more than nine million residents eat approximately ten million loaves of __khubz 'arabi__—the slightly leavened flatbread known to many as pita. Some rely on this bread to avoid starvation; for others it is a customary pleasure. Yet despite its ubiquity in accounts of Middle East politics and society, rarely do we consider how bread is prepared, consumed, discussed, and circulated—and what this all represents. With this book, José Ciro Martínez examines __khubz 'arabi__ to unpack the effects of the welfare program that ensures its widespread availability. Drawing on more than a year working as a baker in Amman, Martínez probes the practices that underpin subsidized bread. Following bakers and bureaucrats, he offers an immersive examination of social welfare provision. Martínez argues that the state is best understood as the product of routine practices and actions, through which it becomes a stable truth in the lives of citizens. __States of Subsistence__ not only describes logics of rule in contemporary Jordan—and the place of bread within them—but also unpacks how the state endures through forms, sensations, and practices amid the seemingly unglamorous and unspectacular day-to-day. "On any given day in Jordan, more than nine million residents eat approximately ten million loaves of khubz 'arabi--the slightly leavened flatbread known to many as pita. Some rely on this bread to avoid starvation, for others it is a customary pleasure. Yet despite its ubiquity in accounts of Middle East politics and society, rarely do we consider how bread is prepared, consumed, discussed, and circulated-and what this all represents. With this book, José Ciro Martínez examines khubz 'arabi to unpack the effects of the welfare program that ensures its widespread availability. Drawing on more than a year working as a baker in Amman, Martínez probes the practices that underpin subsidized bread. Following bakers and bureaucrats, he offers an immersive examination of social welfare provision. Martínez argues that the state is best understood as the product of routine practices and actions, through which it becomes a stable truth in the lives of citizens. "Performing the State" not only describes logics of rule in contemporary Jordan--and the place of bread within them--but also unpacks how the state endures through forms, sensations, and practices amidst the seemingly unglamorous and unspectacular day-to-day"-- Provided by publisher On any given day in Jordan, more than nine million residents eat approximately ten million loaves of khubz 'arabi —the slightly leavened flatbread known to many as pita. Some rely on this bread to avoid starvation; for others it is a customary pleasure. Yet despite its ubiquity in accounts of Middle East politics and society, rarely do we consider how bread is prepared, consumed, discussed, and circulated—and what this all represents. With this book, José Ciro Martínez examines khubz 'arabi to unpack the effects of the welfare program that ensures its widespread availability. Drawing on more than a year working as a baker in Amman, Martínez probes the practices that underpin subsidized bread. Following bakers and bureaucrats, he offers an immersive examination of social welfare provision. Martínez argues that the state is best understood as the product of routine practices and actions, through which it becomes a stable truth in the lives of citizens. States of Subsistence not only describes logics of rule in contemporary Jordan—and the place of bread within them—but also unpacks how the state endures through forms, sensations, and practices amid the seemingly unglamorous and unspectacular day-to-day. Contents Preface BREADLINES Acknowledgments Notes on Translation and Transliteration INTRODUCTION Part 1 ASSEMBLY Chapter 1 A NEW STYLE OF ADMINISTRATION Chapter 2 SENSING THE STATE Chapter 3 STATECRAFT Part 2 ENTANGLEMENT Chapter 4 ECHOES, ABSENCES, AND REACH Chapter 5 TACTICS AT THE BAKERY CONCLUSION Notes Bibliography Index