"Peaks of Yemen I Summon"
Poetry as Cultural Practice in a North Yemeni Tribe

An ethnographic study of Yemeni tribal poetry that reveals a folkloric system where poetry is a creation of art and a political and social act. Drawing on field research in North Yemen, it shows the significance of poetry in Yemeni society, analyzing verse genres and their use in weddings, war mediations, and political discourse on the state.

Thus the poet engages in constitutive social practice. Because of its highly interdisciplinary approach, this book will interest a wide range of readers including anthropologists, linguists, folklorists, literary critics, and scholars of Middle Eastern society, language, and culture.