The gulf in birth and death rates between rich and poor countries is well documented, but little is actually known about demographic disparities between local class or status groups within most countries, particularly nomadic and stateless groups in the Middle East. Fertile Bonds: Bedouin Class, Kinship, and Gender in the Bekaa Valley takes a fresh look at social disparities in reproduction and health through a Bedouin case study in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. In addition to detailing the demographic underpinnings of class, occupation, kinship, and gender in Bekaa Bedouin communities, the book ... More

The gulf in birth and death rates between rich and poor countries is well documented, but little is actually known about demographic disparities between local class or status groups within most countries, particularly nomadic and stateless groups in the Middle East. Fertile Bonds: Bedouin Class, Kinship, and Gender in the Bekaa Valley takes a fresh look at social disparities in reproduction and health through a Bedouin case study in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. In addition to detailing the demographic underpinnings of class, occupation, kinship, and gender in Bekaa Bedouin communities, the book draws from microdemographic studies in nomadic and peasant societies worldwide to better frame questions on demographic inequities. A broader picture is provided that challenges the universality of class inequality and prompts closer consideration of the contingencies of geography and history when examining rich/poor divides. The study also calls into question dehumanizing stereotypes of prolific reproduction among rural poor women, offering alternative ethnographic and demographic interpretations of high fertility and gender.