Charity in Saudi Arabia: Civil Society under Authoritarianism

n 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. The book includes a mix of personal experiences, ethnographic observation, and detailed descriptions of four civil society organizations (CSOs) and their evolution from 2009 to 2020. In the aftermath of the 2009 flood in Jeddah, the author observed how individuals, organizations, and other civil society actors managed the response to a natural disaster beyond the state’s interventions, focusing on how religious values and charity are intertwined with everyday piety in an authoritarian state. Jeddah offers a particularly interesting case due to its multicultural nature and its link with pilgrimage for Muslims at large. Derbal illustrates the everyday rhythms of CSOs in Saudi Arabia and their charitable activities beyond Islam, authoritarianism, and the nation-state—even if the latter continue to influence CSOs’ activities and behaviors.