Books

Charity in Saudi Arabia: Civil Society under Authoritarianism, Cambridge University Press 2022

The Book:

Is a window into everyday practices of Islam in Saudi Arabia,
Offers an ethnography of community activism in Jeddah,
Gives voice to Saudis and non-Saudis involved in charity work in Saudi Arabia to show what they think about civil society and inequality in Saudi Arabia,
Provides rich empirical evidence concerning the everyday practices and activities of civil society organizations, their opportunities, challenges, and negotiations, which sheds light on civil society in the Gulf states.

Order via Amazon or directly via Cambridge University Press. You can read or download the first chapter of the book here for free:

Derbal-2022-Chapter1-Introduction-Charity-in-Saudi-Arabia Download

Awards:

One of the Times Literary Supplement selceted “Books of the Year 2022“.
Winner of the “Polonsky Prize for Creativity and Originality in the Humanistic Disciplines” awarded at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Endorsements:

‘Nora Derbal presents a fascinating study of civil society in the authoritarian context of Saudi Arabia – a topic that is very much under-researched. It’s highly original, impressively written and meticulously detailed. This is truly a piece of social science at its absolute best.’ – Paul Aarts, University of Amsterdam
‘A ground-breaking study of Saudi charity organizations interwoven with history, contemporary developments, and gender analysis. Comprehensively and holistically researched, rich in statistics and personal lived experience, it is a compelling read for anyone interested in the inner workings of Saudi society and the economy outside of official institutions and narratives.’ – Natana Delong-Bas, Boston College
‘Nora Derbal’s book is timely, well-written and based on extensive fieldwork in Saudi Arabia. It is a welcome addition to the literature that places civil society initiatives in Saudi Arabia, especially in the Hijaz, in a wider socio-political context and problematises simplistic notions of state-society relations and authoritarian rule.’ – Toby Matthiesen, Ca’ Foscari University
‘a penetrating addition to the research literature on charity’ – Jonathan Benthall Source, Books of the Year 2022, Times Literary Supplement

Reviews:

‘… a fascinating volume, well written and easy to read. It addresses aspects of today’s Saudi Arabia which are rarely examined but which are extremely important to understand the social dynamics of the country.’ – Helen Lackner, Asian Affairs, November 2023
‘Derbal hits out effectively against the “culturalist exceptionalism” that still mars some popular descriptions of the Arab world. As a contribution to the understanding of the Gulf region, she provides a “bottom-up” ethnographic corrective to a research corpus that has been more concerned with relationships among elites. But students of philanthropy as a universal human phenomenon will find in her book fresh twists to themes that are familiar in Euro-American debates. … Derbal shows a surefooted sensitivity, questioning stereotypes of Saudi social life without glossing over the inhumanity that its current leadership is capable of.’ – Jonathan Benthall Source, The Middle East Journal 76/4
‘Derbal has written a brilliant, innovative and ground-breaking book on aspects of charity and civil society in Saudi Arabia and how it is faring under the authoritarian regime of MbS. The book is packed with her detailed and perceptive field work and research in the Hejaz from 2009 to 2020. It makes a huge contribution to the academic study of charitable work in Saudi Arabia.’ – Caroline Montagu, Arab Digest, July 20, 2023
‘An impressive bibliography, which interestingly leaves much space for works in Arabic by Saudi historians as well as interpretations by Saudi activists themselves… Its ethnographic dimension is precious at a time when the conditions for independent research are increasingly difficult for all. It can thus serve as a guidebook for graduate students.’ – Laurent Bonnefoy, Arabian Humanities vol. 17, 2023
‘Derbal’s book is an example of saudology at its best, and it joins the small golden series of fieldwork-based studies carried out in the 2000s. The book is the result of more than ten years of research, initiated with Derbal’s PhD study of charities in Jeddah, and a number of longer and shorter stays in the kingdom. The study is based on an impressive range of information, including interviews, participant observation, documentation published by the charities, and information obtained from social media. The book is highly recommended reading for anyone who has an interest in modern Saudi Arabia, in civil society under authoritarian rule, and in charity work, which is one of the pillars of any Muslim society.’ – Stig Stenslie, Politics, Religion and Ideology, 3 August 2023
‘Abgesehen von ihrer empirischen Reichhaltigkeit und tiefgehenden Analyse, liefert Derbal mit ihrer Arbeit eine umfassende Betrachtung des staatlichen, politischen und sozialen Kontexts Saudi-Arabiens, in dem die Unternehmungen der behandelten zivilgesellschaftlichen Akteure verortet sind. Während allein schon die weitreichende Datenerhebung in einem bis vor einigen Jahren noch kaum vor Ort sozialwissenschaftlich erforschten Land, wie Saudi-Arabien, viel Wertvolles zu Tage fördert, erhöht diese Verortung der einzelnen Initiativen in einem größeren Rahmen und ihre Betrachtung als dessen Spiegelbild den Mehrwert des Buches nochmals deutlich. Darüber hinaus stellt Derbals Studie etliche Standardnarrative bezüglich Saudi-Arabiens in der Wissenschaft und dem staatlichen Diskurs eklatant in Frage.’ – Philipp Bruckmayr, DAVO Nachrichten Band 54/55, Dezember 2023
‘In Charity in Saudi Arabia, Nora Derbal challenges the existing literature on Saudi Arabia’s civil society, giving space and voice to some of its more underappreciated actors…For those researching Gulf States’ transformations, and professors teaching philanthropy-related subjects and sociopolitical transformations in the MENA region, Derbal’s work marks a significant contribution to dealing with two—apparently—conflicting concepts: civil society and authoritarianism, from a bottom-up perspective.’ – Altea Pericoli, Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, vol. 7/2 (2023)

Interviews about Charity in Saudi Arabia:

Interview with Jadaliyya,
Webinar at the Middle East Institute of Singapore National University with Jean-Loup Samaan and a commentary given by Jessie Moritz,
An episode at the Tel Aviv Review Podcast with Gilad Halpern and Yael Berda,
Recording of a book talk at the ZMO in Berlin with commentaries given by Elad Giladi and Imken Wiese.
Recording of a discussion of the book at the LSE Middle East Center with Steffen Hertog and Hanna Almoaibed

Philanthropie in Saudi-Arabien: Bestandsaufnahme und Untersuchung der organisierten philanthropischen Praxis in Djidda, Lucius & Lucius/De Gruyter 2012

This is a slightly revised version of my MA thesis, submitted at Freie Universität Berlin in 2011, with a foreword by Ulrike Freitag: Den Ausgangspunkt des Buchs bildet die Beobachtung vor Ort in Saudi-Arabien in 2009/10, dass Wohltätigkeit ein omnipräsentes und in ihren organisierten Formen immer stärker sichtbares Phänomen in der saudischen Gesellschaft darstellt. Am Anfang steht deshalb die Frage, wie dich die These der zunehmenden gesellschaftlichen Attraktivität von organisiertem philanthropischem Engagement erklären lässt.