Saudi Arabia: A Modern History

by David Commins

Overview

A major new history of Saudi Arabia, from its eighteenth-century origins to the present day
 
Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a major player on the international stage and the site of Islam’s two holiest cities. It is also one of the world’s only absolute monarchies. How did Saudi Arabia get to where it is today?
 
In this comprehensive account, David Commins narrates the full history of Saudi Arabia from oasis emirate to present-day attempts to leap to a post-petroleum economy. Moving through the ages, Commins traces how the Saud dynasty’s reliance on sectarianism, foreign expertise, and petroleum to stabilize power has unintentionally spawned secular and religious movements seeking accountability and justice. He incorporates the experiences of activists, women, religious minorities, Bedouin, and expatriate workers as the country transformed from subsistence agrarian life to urban consumer society.
 
This is a perceptive portrait of Saudi Arabia’s complex and evolving story—and a country that is all too easily misunderstood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300258059
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	04/29/2025
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

David Commins is the Benjamin Rush Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of history at Dickinson College. He is the author of Islam in Saudi Arabia, The Gulf States, and The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia.

Editorial Reviews

A nuanced examination of the kingdom’s state formation process. . . . Commins’ clear writing style makes complex historical events easy to grasp, and his well-researched account avoids simplistic narratives and stereotypes.”—Sanam Vakil, Financial Times

“Eagerly anticipated. . . . A sober, erudite and admirably concise study.”—Thomas Small, Times Literary Supplement

“Astounding in its scope and scale, Commins has produced a definitive historical account of the political, religious, and socio-economic forces that have shaped the development and subsequent growth of Saudi Arabia.”—Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, author of Qatar and the Gulf Crisis

“Commins documents the expansion of the House of Saud from a small oasis emirate to form one of the most powerful Arab states. He fills a major gap in our knowledge and will attract interest from all who want to understand the background against which the Kingdom currently reinvents itself.”—Ulrike Freitag, author of A History of Jeddah

“Often misunderstood or maligned, Saudi Arabia’s history receives an impartial inspection in David Commins’s penetrating book. The sectarian currents around the origins and evolution of the Wahhabi movement are deftly dissected while Nabati poetry and works of Saudi fiction are engaged to illustrate the impact of the kingdom’s transformation on its people.”—J. E. Peterson, author of Saudi Arabia Under Ibn Saud

“A rich, impressive and valuable book, which dispels many of the myths that surround the kingdom as it positions itself as a leading player in Middle Eastern and global politics.”—Simon Mabon, author of The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East

“Commins has written the finest modern history of Saudi Arabia. He elegantly weaves together the strands that make up its story—religious doctrine, warfare, royal politics, social tensions, oil and economics, foreign influences and modern ideological movements—and in so doing offers the most sophisticated yet readable account for understanding this opaque society.”—Bernard Haykel, author of Saudi Arabia in Transition

From the Publisher

Commins’ clear writing style makes complex historical events easy to grasp, and his well-researched account avoids simplistic narratives and stereotypes.”

Financial Times (London)

A sober, erudite, and admirably concise study.”

Times Literary Supplement (London)