Study of Civil Societies in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example

Fieldwork Plan: Study of Civil Societies in Saudi Arabia Fieldwork Plan: Study of Civil Societies in Saudi Arabia Organizations, whether private or public, for-profit or non- profit, are governed by a set of policies and procedures. These policies and procedures need to be reviewed periodically to ensure the optimum efficiency and utilization. Notably, the review process not only proved assess to the success or failure of the policy or procedure, it also encapsulates the implementation of these policies. The research that undertakes this role is applied policy research that is required to gather specific information and has the potential to create actionable outcomes (Srivastava, Thomson. 2009: 73). The realm of civil society in Saudi was for long a neglected field and least studied have been conducted in this region among others of Middle East and GCC countries. Activists and intellectuals advocating for developments and reforms concerning human rights as social actors have gradually been effectively active since early 2000s. The increased advocacies on human rights have subsequently increased the space for people to pressure governments from bellow thereby representing a greater challenge (Alhargan, 2012). This PhD thesis aims to investigate the nature of civil society in Saudi Arabia and examines the suitability of the civil society theories and to what extent such theories can be applied to the Saudi context. Moreover, this research aims at determining whether the same theories should modify and develop to guide those who are interested in this field. Notably, this fieldwork aims at collecting primary qualitative data on civil society in Saudi Arabia. Such data will be collected in various forms and structures; furthermore, that data will contain depicting functions it performs, the influence it has upon the broad society and the ruling powers, and the effectiveness by which it discharges these functions. The fieldwork also aims to gather in-depth information about the role of the religious leadership in the development of civil society, and their influence on political authority. The research shall also obtain information about tribal regional and sectarian identities and their impact on civil society. Numerous studies have since concentrated on the relationship between civil society and religion. This has been so for long time particularly since the Roman Catholic Church concentrated its focus on marginalized areas and politically unstable regions. According to Alhargan, local actors advocating civil rights mainly arose from the religious establishment, unaffiliated government clerics, independent rights activists and local NGOs, activists and writers Islamo-liberal orientation. As the Saudi was established with the religious alliance, the role played by the Ulama (religious figures) was of huge significance in regulating the relationship between citizens and the government. In this case, the majority of Saudi citizens respect the advice of the clerics, especially on controversial social and religious issues where they can expect the government to lift oppression and calls to desist from abusing citizens (Ibid). Notably, the role of Ulama addressing the concept of civil society will further be investigated in details through the available literature and interviews; this will provide an opportunity for answering research questions proposed in this study, bearing in mind possible limitations of the data. The liberals and Islamists, university lecturers, and elites are vita groups for this study. The liberals and Islamists provide the function to the targeted society has the clerics. It is the teaching of the Islamists that shapes the fundamental understanding of the Muslims within the region. The same understanding influences the relationship between the society and other organizations including the government. Finally, the university lecturers and elites are essential groups since they provide the academic understanding between different cultures, organizations, as well as the government. In most cases, the university lecturers and elites are usually regarded as role models to the society; therefore, the understanding and influence are usually vital in understanding different relationships within the society. Additionally, these two groups are vital pillar of the society since they understand perfectly the extent to which human rights should be applied into the society especially in regards to the government policies and laws. The same understanding is usually passed to the society by the same groups whenever they feel that such rights are jeopardized. Therefore, these groups are vital for this research. The main civil societies that this research will concentrate on five civil societies including (1) the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts, (2) the First Welfare Society of Jeddah, (3) the Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance, (4) the World Assembly of Muslim Youth or WAMY, and (5) the Bab Rizq Jameel. The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts is a cultural society, the First Welfare Society of Jeddah is a women’s association, and the Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance is a charity sponsored by a religious figure. The World Assembly of Muslim Youth or WAMY a global youth movement and the Bab Rizq Jameel organization is focused on providing job opportunities and livelihood prospects for the youth and the unemployed. “The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts was formed in 1972 pursuant to the Royal Decree of 1972 to form the Saudi Arabian Arts Society. The society changed its name to the Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts in 1978. The goal of the society is to protect and nurture the culture of the Kingdom by discharging the following duties: To develop progressively the level of culture and arts in the Kingdom To look after the welfare of Saudi artists and work towards raising their cultural, artistic and social standards To sponsor talented young people and provide an opportunity for them to develop and display their talents To represent the Kingdom in all matters relating to the development of culture and arts at both Arab and international levels” (Samirad, 2013). The Society is also charged with the oversight of the Kingdom’s first Cultural Center in Riyadh; a center that was dedicated to reviving and popularizing the cultural heritage of the Kingdom. The Cultural Video Film and Recording Library of the Kingdom are also under the Society. The First Welfare Society of Jeddah organization is a social agency established by Queen Iffat, wife of Prince Faisal, whose programs were principally dedicated to the uplifting of women’s roles in Saudi Arabian society. It was established simultaneous in the 1960s with that of the Al Nadah Women’s Welfare Association in Riyadh. Notably, their programs are still active. The First Welfare Society of Jeddah deals with gender issues including maternal and child care, health care and social issues, literacy and rehabilitation. The Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance (COCG) is dedicated primarily to the advancement of Islamic teaching and the conversion of non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia. The COCG conducts lectures on the principles and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, pursues programs for the conversion of new members, and distributes instructional materials and videos to homes and offices. Not only does it act on religious matters but it also teaches skills including techniques of speech presentation (COCG in North Riyadh, 2012). The World Assembly of Muslim Youth or WAMY organization focuses its attention on Islamic educational practices and it is based in Riyadh Mil, Central, Saudi Arabia. The WAMY is an organization of high reputation; it is affiliated with the United Nations; thus, it has global effects with branches in the UK and Brazil. It advocates and strives for the development of young Muslims, both personally and socially, to enable them to realize their highest potential. Finally, the research will focus on Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), which is a component of the Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiative or ALJCI. The BRJ is a spin-off of services that were offered by the ALJCSP since it establishment in 2003. The fundamental objective of the BRJ is to provide job opportunities and livelihood assistance for the unemployed. Their programs include Taxi Ownership, Truck Ownership, Small Business, Productive Households, Franchising Support, Direct Employment Program, and Training and Employment. Methodology in this Study Recently, there have been shift in the Croatia and cross the global in the ways regarding the research work on the civil society. The shift has mainly been from the theoretical research to empirical research concepts. Therefore, the design of each study is often dictated by the role, function, and nature of the civil societies to be studied. The most widely discussed technique is the use of a “deviant case study” design to formulate new hypotheses (Eckstein, 1975; Emigh, 1997; George & Bennett, 2005; Lijphart, 1971). Deviant cases are observations with outcomes that do not conform to theoretical predictions. Qualitative analysts frequently study these cases intensely to understand the reasons why they defy theory. In most cases, the process discovering novel hypotheses that can be tested more generally are applied to understand the application of this technique (Mahoney, 2007). Deviant cases are observations with outcomes that do not conform to theoretical predictions. The main advantage of applying the deviant case analysis is that a small data generated from the study to be sufficient to explain a wider range of observations. Moreover, the deviant case analysis provides the opportunity to find novel theoretical relationship and confident that the study was conducted in a rigorous manner. A second technique of theory generation involves the use of comparisons to formulate new hypotheses almost inevitably as a byproduct of contextualized comparisons, new concepts and explanatory hypotheses are developed in qualitative analysis. The comparison technique will be vital in this study since it will give room of comparing well-articulated cases and less exploited cases in different regions. Using the western understanding of case analysis will help in understanding the undeveloped areas of the cases study and analysis in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, comparing designs and analyses of different cases both from western and Middle East will help in understanding the concept under study in this research work. Research Design This research will follow a qualitative research design. Qualitative research is an inquiry process of understanding based on distinct and methodological traditions of inquiry that explore a social or a human problem. The research design allows the researcher to build a complex and holistic picture as well as analyzes words to provide detailed reports on the views of informants. Moreover, the design allows the researcher to conduct the study in a natural setting to understand the processes or the how and why of a given phenomenon qualitative research provides the necessary in- depth and exploratory tools to achieve a clear picture of the process. Qualitative research methods have been recognized as a valuable tool in the social sciences and this has spilled over into applied social policy research. The qualitative data that are utilized in framework analysis are usually gathered in the form of participant observation, focus groups, or interviews. Participant observation is a process of data collection where the researcher observes participants or a participant of the event/phenomenon under study (Srivastava and Thomson, 2009). In my fieldwork process, I believe participating in one or two non-profit organizations activities will give the research more credibility and provide us with new data that can only be reached through taking notes and close engagement in examining the dynamics of organizations. This will allow me to break the restrictions and gain the trust of their members to feel the ease in giving answers that are more accurate. Interviews are typically a face-to-face conversation between the participant and the researcher. There are three different types of interviews including structured and unstructured as well as semi-structured structured interviews. All these interviews are based on questions that are asked of every participant. In should be noted that, there is no variation in the questions between participants. The interviewer starts the conversation with a broad/holistic question (for instance, Tell me about your life?). Semi-structured interviews strike a balance between a structured interview and unstructured interview. In the semi-structured interviews the questions are open ended; thus, not limiting the choice of answers provided by the respondents/interviewees (Srivastava and Thomson, 2009). This research will use structured, unstructured and semi-structured structured interviews. The highly structured interview will be used to collect sociodemographic data, the better part of the data will be collected through less structured and open-ended interviews. The use of the last two will be deployed intensively since they are the best in extracting much information since they provide friendly environment (Hennink, Hutter, and Bailey, 2011). It worth noting that the Comparative study between GCC civil society and Saudi will give in depth and insight to extracting new ideas from the field will be vital; thus, using means that will help in extracting maximum information will be fundamental for the study. The targeted groups for the -face-to-face interviews include will be conducted with lowers, activists both liberals and Islamists, university lecturers, religious clerics, and elites members whose involved in intellectual salons. The interview questionnaires will be administered to the targeted groups as follows: The contact person/s who shall provide the interview shall first be identified. The proper permission shall be secured from the organization head or person designated as responsible. The contact person/s shall be notified and an appointment made at a schedule convenient to the interviewee. The interview shall be conducted, subject to the proper assurances for confidentiality, transparency, and observance of ethical research practices. If necessary, reschedule of subsequent interviews with the same contact person or other contact persons who shall be interviewed from the same CSO. Duration of the Study The field work is expected to start in July 2014 and run until July 2015. It will be conducted according to the table or fieldwork plan below: Group Number of interviewees Starting data Ending date Bab Rizq Jameel World Assembly of Muslim Youth or WAMY Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance First Welfare Society of Jeddah Saudi Arabian Society for Culture and Arts University Lecturers Elite Members Religious Clerics liberals and Islamists Possible Research Limitation The data set in this study is mainly data on civil society and is relatively new form of data that has not yet been tested through empirical research. This may provide a challenge in determining their accuracy and applicability. It does provide an opportunity for answering research questions proposed in this study. References Hennink, M. M., Hutter, I., & Bailey, A. (2011). Qualitative research methods. London: SAGE. http://www.joaag.com/uploads/06_Research_Note_Srivastava_and_Thomson_4_2_.pdf Mahoney, J. (2007). Qualitative methods and comparative politics. Comparative Political Studies, 40, 122-144. Srivastava, A. & Thomson, S. B. (2009).Framework Analysis: A Qualitative Methodology for Applied Policy Research. JOAAG, Vol. 4. No. 2. Retrieved from Read More