Customary Laws in Hadramawt (South Arabia).Between the Past and the Future

Abstract

In his reflections and conclusions on the reasons of current political, economic and humanitarian crisis in South Arabia, in general, and in Hadramawt, in particular, the author relies on his knowledge and understanding of traditional tribal culture of the local population, with Customary, as well as Family law as an integral part of the South Arabia social life. He studies both through various historical handwritten and printed sources, archival materials and a range of personal data which he gathered together during a number of ethnographic field seasons to Yemen in 1983 to 2008. Thereby suggested analytical approach adds some salient arguments to come up to the solution of social and political situation in the region. The author’s field experience as social anthropologist in South Arabia gives some hope that the way out of Yemen’s present day social turmoil could be found within the legal framework of sober and gradual moves. It can be done only in conformity with local tradition instead of radical and inconsistent changes. In this case it is helpful for the future of the country to analyze some points of the old practices according to Hadrami documents, 19th to 20th centuries from the archives of al-Mukalla and Say’un. Refs 20 items.