World War I and the Perspective of a Hashemite Order in Yemen. Study of the Chronicle of Ismā‛īl b. Muḥammad al-Washalī
Résumé
From 1912 to 1920, Yemen echoed the European imperial competition by suffering from continuous blockades by the Italians and by the British, leading to a dispersion of powers and deep political tension. This article, which is based on the analysis of the chronicle of Ismā'īl b. Muḥammad al-Washalī (1867/1868-1937), explores the idea of an extended social and political affirmation of the Yemeni local elite, namely the sayyid-s (local Hashemites), on the ground of the local context of World War I. More than a simple witness, this Shāfi'ī scholar of the Tihāma uses his historical work to assert the position and status of the social group he belongs to. This can be seen as a performative means allowing him to ensure his own shift away from Ottoman allegiance in favour of the Hashemite order that seems to settle in the region through the growing influence of the key figures such as the Emir al-Idrīsī, the sharif of Mecca or the Imam Yaḥyā. Al-Washalī defends the old local social order threatened by the overwhelming development of modern liberalism as the perspective of the Ottoman defeat becomes clearer, namely after the launching of the Great Arab revolt by Sharif Ḥusayn in 1916, using moral arguments on the effects of the war over the populations, and very particular explanations of the facts and events. This chronicle can help explain how the Shāfi’ī elite participated in the handover of the Ottoman power, first to Emir al-Idrīsī’s state and then to the Zaydī Imam Yaḥyā.
Fichier principal
World War I and the Perspective of a Hashemite Order in Yemen.pdf (396.89 Ko)
Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)