The Diwaniah: A Traditional Kuwaiti Social Institution in a Political Role

A s sociologists try to uncover the reasons why Kuwait was not only able to endure the oppression of the Iraqi invasion and occupation but also to recover relatively rapidly, some social institutions in the country are being explored for their value in understanding the coping strategies available within the culture. One such traditional institution is the diwaniah. This informal institution in Kuwait served as a natural and largely unchallenged survival mechanism both during historical conflicts and turmoil as well as recently during the Iraqi invasion and occupation. As a culture-wide tradition, the diwaniah, by providing the meeting places for men to discuss important political and social issues, played several significant roles during the Iraqi invasion and occupation. In this paper, the author investigates the growth of and changes within the traditional institution of the diwaniah over the years in Kuwait, describing its structure and development, and evaluating its influence and the roles it has played in Kuwait's sociopolitical history. The study includes results of a an informal survey of the roles the diwaniah has played during the last decade in the social future of the diwaniah in Kuwait is positive and promising, because its importance and traditional influence are increasing each day. While the diwaniah is a Gulf Arab tradition, it is in Kuwait that it has maintained its strength. Kuwaitis are proud of this unique institution, they see how it helped them cope with the dangers of an occupying army, and they understand that it made possible the swift recovery after the war. Therefore, it is the wish of every Kuwaiti to preserve the diwaniah for the coming generations for the welfare of the society and the individual.     

ARCHAEOMETRY AT SLOWPOKE‐TORONTO

This paper describes the archaeometric research conducted at the SLOWPOKE Reactor Facility of the University of Toronto (SLOWPOKE‐Toronto) during its existence from 1971 to 1998. The contributions to student teaching and research are described, and the total contribution of the facility to studies of an eclectic assortment of ancient and historic materials is addressed.     

Guest editors’ foreword

This special issue of Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy is the result of the conference ‘Archaeological Failaka, Recent and Ongoing Investigations’ organised at the National Library of Kuwait by the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) of the State of Kuwait and the French Research Center of the Arabian Peninsula (CEFREPA, formerly known as CEFAS) between 26 and 28 November 2019. Not less than 13 articles on the archaeology of Failaka offer an overview of the most recent works on sites dating from its first occupation in the Bronze Age to the late Islamic period. It provides a new insight into the rich history of Failaka – an island explored by Kuwaiti and international teams since the 1950’s and that was connected with Mesopotamia, Iran, the Near East and India – and begin to fill in some gaps, in particular concerning the late Islamic period, the pottery studies, the long-distance trade and the geomorphology of the island.     

A Theory‐Based Cellular Automata for the Simulation of Land‐Use Change. 基于理论细胞自动机的土地利用变化模拟

This study proposes a theory‐based cellular automata (CA) in which CA rules are constructed on the basis of a theory of urban land‐use change and other local conditions. Rent gap theory that describes urban redevelopment and exogenous conditions that reflect urban development are embedded into a CA to simulate changes of land use. The theoretical framework provides a strong conceptual background for the CA simulation. A case study demonstrates the flexibility of the integrated framework for simulating land‐use changes in complex settings. This research aims to help decision‐makers formulate appropriate development plans.     

Sôtélès l'Athénien

A second Greek-inscribed sherd mentioning Soteles the Athenian was discovered in stratified context during the excavations at Failaka (ancient Ikaros), Kuwait. It gives a short list of three Greek personal names, Soteles, Dionysios and Agatharchos. It also provides a secure date for the activity of this Seleucid officer in the first half of the third century BC. The other sherd pertaining to Soteles is re-examined. Both were parts of inscribed vases offered to the deities of the temples inside and outside the fortress, during the process of settlement of the first Greek garrison.     

Kuwait,Political Violence and the Syrian War

Kuwait’s support of civilians in war-torn Syria has been commended by the international community. In addition, the Gulf state has joined US-led coalitions against the ‘Islamic State’ and affirmed many international agreements designed to choke off international assistance to militias operating in Syria. In 2015, Kuwait paid a heavy price for its involvement, becoming a victim of IS-affiliated terrorism. Whilst this suggests that Kuwait’s position on radical Islamist movements involved in the Syrian conflict is clear cut, this article will argue that Kuwait’s government has had to balance this official position against domestic support for elements of the radical Islamist opposition in Syria. These cross-cutting tensions were underscored by the US designation of the state as the ‘epicentre’ of private fund raising for militias in Syria. To explore these contradictions, this article will analyse Kuwait’s engagement with the Syrian war, its new anti-terror legislation and the tensions between the official and unofficial views on support for foreign militias. This analysis will highlight the challenges the Kuwait government has faced in addressing unofficial Kuwaiti engagement with the radical Islamist opposition in Syria.     

Causal Assessment in Small‐N Policy Studies

The identification of cause‐and‐effect relationships plays an indispensable role in policy research, both for applied problem solving and for building theories of policy processes. Historical process tracing has emerged as a promising method for revealing causal mechanisms at a level of precision unattainable through statistical techniques. Yet historical analyses often produce dauntingly complex causal explanations, with numerous factors emerging as necessary but insufficient causes of an outcome. This article describes an approach that renders complex causal narratives more analytically tractable by establishing measurement criteria for ranking the relative importance of component causes. By focusing on subjectively useful measurement attributes, the approach is well suited to the policy sciences' unique combination of explicitly normative aspirations and a commitment to the systematic assessment of causal claims.     

Caring for the Elderly in Kuwait

This article is based on the author's research investigation titled “Toward visualizing a proposal from a general practice perspective in social work to reach the social adjustment in the elderly residing the social nursing home: applied study on the old-age home (asylum) in Sulaibikhat area in the city of Kuwait.” Caring for the elderly is a humane issue encountered by many developed and developing nations. This dilemma of caring for the elderly has increasingly spread throughout the world. United Nations statistics reveal that there are over 200 million people who were over 60 years of age in 1950. The number increased in 1975 to 350 million, and further increased to 950 million in 2000. It is expected that the number will exceed 1,100 million people by the year 2025. In Kuwait, the number of elderly people has increased rapidly. Table 1 shows the number of elderly people in the last three years, according to gender and nationality. It is clear from the data displayed in Table 1 that there is a continuous annual increase in the number of elderly people residing in Kuwait. In light of this continuous increase and the government's interest in providing full care for the citizens, there is a great need to reconsider the status of this helpless group once again to fulfill their basic needs in accordance with the latest scientific and social development that is carried out by the country. The needs of the elderly are considered an important necessity, resulting from psychological and biological factors, as well as the nature of social relations associated with aging. Satisfying these needs will ensure the social adjustment of the elderly, while at the same time, accomplish the societal goals. Satisfying these and other emotional needs has given impetus to establishing comprehensive nursing homes in Kuwait, and shed more light on the social adjustment of the elderly residing in these homes.     

The Mollö Cog Re‐Examined and Re‐Evaluated

As part of a research project on medieval trade and maritime transportation in the former Norwegian province of Bohuslän, western Sweden, a dendrochronological analysis of the so‐called Mollö cog was undertaken. The wreck, which was first salvaged in 1980, was previously dated by ¹⁴C analysis. Since this provided a nearly 400‐year time‐span for the building of the vessel, a more precise dating was considered essential. In conjunction with dendrochronological sampling, several features not previously reported were recorded. This paper presents the find, the research history and the results of the dendrochronological investigation. © 2012 The Authors     

A 16th‐Century Ship‐Find from Amager Beach Park,Denmark: description and preliminary interpretation

When establishing the new Amager Beach Park near Copenhagen, Denmark, a small clinker‐built ship dating to the 16th century (dendro‐dated to 1560–70) was discovered. The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde excavated the wreck in 2004, and parts of the ship were later taken to the museum and recorded in 3D. This article describes the excavation and the documentation, and presents the preliminary interpretation of the ship‐find. The ship is interpreted as a small cargo vessel, probably carrying two masts. Its hull‐form indicates that the vessel was specially designed for navigating the waters of the Sound between Denmark and Sweden. © 2010 The Author     

Morgawr: an experimental Bronze Age‐type sewn‐plank craft based on the Ferriby boats

This paper reports on the construction of a full‐scale Bronze Age‐type sewn‐plank boat based on the Ferriby boats. The boat, which was named Morgawr, was constructed in the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth, England, during 2012 and the first months of 2013, as part of a larger exhibition in the museum. This paper provides the background and context of the project, describes the process of building the craft, and reflects in particular on differences between Morgawr and the ‘hypothetical reconstruction of a complete sewn‐plank boat’ published in 1990 by Ted Wright and John Coates which formed the basis for this project.     

The Issue of Citizenship for the Bidun Minority in Kuwait after the Arab Spring

Kuwait is a country in which there are many tribes but it is the al‐U'zam tribe which is very dominant and influential in local politics and the economy, in contrast to the other tribes in Kuwait who are recognized by the state as being equal, but have little influence in these things. The Bedouin tribes, such as the Bidun society in Kuwait, who have been excluded from nationality and citizenship and thus have no influence, are an exception. The Kuwaiti government claims that the Bidun themselves gave up these rights so as not to be part of the Kuwaiti state and this has resulted in the Kuwaiti government not granting them any formal economic, political, or social rights. Because of this, the Bidun have had to fight for their rights for decades since the formal establishment of an independent Kuwait in 1961. This article wishes to discuss whether the question of the Kuwaiti refusal to recognize the Bidun as citizens is because of geostrategic reasons, because of the fear of creating a precedent that might lead to the inclusion of other tribes into the Kuwaiti state, or because this is a traditional political strategy for dealing with politically weak tribes.     

PHYSICO‐CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ACQUALADRONE ROSTRUM

The archaeological discovery of the Acqualadrone rostrum (an offensive naval weapon mounted on the prow at the waterline), off the Italian coast near Messina in 2008, has led to the need for scientific research in order to plan the conservation treatment of this artefact. The discovery is exceptional because of the presence of a wooden section from the original ship. This paper describes the physico‐chemical characterization of a metallic and two wooden samples by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹³C {¹H} cross‐polarization magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, gas chromatography – mass spectrometry and X‐ray diffraction. The results reveal the use of leaded bronze (Cu, 70%; Pb, 20%; Sn, 10%) in the manufacturing process of the alloy and the use of lead whose isotopic composition is referable to either Spanish or Cypriot mines. The analysis of the results relating to the wooden samples indicates their different state of preservation and, at least in some places, the spreading of caulking on the wood, probably using a vegetable resin.     

Kuwait: Elections and Issues of Democratization in a Middle Eastern State

In 1992, elections were held in Kuwait to vote for the four-year assembly. The elections were essentially a compromise formula between two systems and political cultures in Kuwait: traditional hereditary rule and representative and modern forms. The successful conclusion of the election campaign, one of the most intensive in the history of Kuwait, may be the first step in the direction of much-needed political reform that may tilt the country more and more toward a true parliamentary system. The elections resulted in a victory for the opposition forces and their supporters, who together won thirty-five seats. For the first time in the history of Kuwait, government ministers can vote in parliament against a government-backed policy, should they feel the need to do so. Kuwait, as far as conditions allow today, is progressively shifting toward a parliamentary system. But, despite Kuwait's political steps forward, many questions and immense dangers still surround the democratic process.     

Recent Excavation Results at Sa’ida Village,Failaka Island

One of the least known, yet extremely important, archaeological sites in Failaka Island, off Kuwait, is Sa’ida village. A joint Gulf mission started excavation in Sa’ida in 2001. The excavations on Hill 1 then exposed the first Friday mosque discovered on Failaka and in the State of Kuwait. The material data revealed that the village dates to the late Islamic period, specifically to the end of the seventeenth century until the beginning of the nineteenth century, when the village was abandoned due to the plague epidemic that swept the region. Since 2016, four fieldwork campaign indicated that the village was inhabited in the early Islamic era in the seventh–eighth centuries and continued until the beginning of the twentieth century, with a few but long gaps. The six campaigns revealed religious and domestic buildings and were sufficient to reassess the chronology of occupation and abandonment of Sa’ida. They provided a valuable insight into the organisation of the site and the lifestyle of the population, with large courtyard houses and small one-room buildings.     

Non‐Destructive Survey of Early Roman Copper‐Alloy Brooches using Portable X‐ray Fluorescence Spectrometry

This paper argues that portable X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (pXRF) is a suitable elemental measurement technique to study the production of copper‐alloy artefacts. However, rather than try to imitate the accuracy and precision of laboratory techniques, it is more beneficial to deploy it in a survey role, one that attempts to model chronological and geographical changes within large quantities of artefacts. To achieve this, it was investigated to what extent corrosion and the issues surrounding surface measurements affect the potential of this type of research. Analyses on early Roman period brooches gathered in the Nijmegen region of the Netherlands were subsequently compared with published data.     

Re‐creating ‘Dutchness’: cultural colonisation in post‐war Holland

Abstract. Following the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation in 1945, many Dutch intellectuals were seriously concerned about the moral comportment of the Dutch in particular its youth. In their view, the war led to a sapping of norms, values and virtues they deemed ‘typically Dutch’ which could bring about complete social disintegration. Therefore, they launched campaigns to reinstate the ‘old ways’. Based on what they believed to be the nation's authentic folk culture and character, they attempted to culturally colonise the Dutch. This article describes and analyses various forms of this institutional cultural nationalism in the second part of the 1940s.     

Naturwissenschafts‐, Technik‐ und Medizingeschichte in Deutschland, 1997—2004. Literaturbericht über die Forschung an den Institutionen

This compilation of German research in history of science, technology, and medicine for the years 1997 to 2004 will continue the previous ones. Researchers of the institutions have given us these information, however, only up to ten indications were requested by the national committee of the IUHPS/DHS. More research results may be found on the homepages of the larger institutes and of most of the individual researchers. The list adheres to the alphabet of the authors names, no longer to that of the institutions. After this note you will find the survey of them. A new national data base is proceeding very slowly and completion might still last some time in a country where this kind of research is considered to be of regional importance only …! This compilation was again supported by the national German science foundation (DFG), which we appreciated very much. The compilation work was mainly done thanks to the efforts of Verena Witte MA, Bochum.     

L'église d'al-Qousour Failaka, État de Koweit

In 1989 a French team conducted excavations at the site of al-Qousour on the island of Failaka, State of Kuwait. The excavations resulted in the discovery of a Christian church complete with two crosses made out of stucco. The building and its contents are described, and a preliminary attempt is made at determining the period of Failaka's evangelisation and of the flourishing of Christianity there.