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The Bedouin practice of Bisha, or ordeal by fire, is analyzed as a conflict-resolving ritual of reciprocal relationships between the individual, small group, community, and society. Two case studies demonstrate that the ritual reflects the social order, reinforces conformity to collective values, deters behaviors that deviate from culturally acceptable norms, and transforms social structures by resolving conflicts between two or more people and by reinstating a sense of mutually agreed-upon justice. (Bisha ritual, Bedouin Arabs, conflict resolution, cultural sensitivity, mediation, mental health)
This article uses two case studies to examine the practice of Bisha, or ordeal by fire, which the Bedouin Arabs use throughout much of the Middle East to resolve various forms of disputes. A ritual is an authoritative mode of symbolic discourse with reference to mystical beings or powers and evoking those sentiments from which society is constructed (Lincoln 1989:53; Turner 1967:19). The article introduces a conflict-resolving ritual that combines the concepts of redressive (Turner 1967:270) and reconciliation rituals (Collier 1984:133). The analysis focuses on how a ritual reflects the social order, reinforces conformity to collective values (Durkheim 1965), and deters behaviors that deviate from culturally acceptable norms (Gluckman 1954, 1963). Beyond this, the study is influenced by Geertz (1973), Turner (1969), and other anthropologists (e.g., Furman 1981; Pilgrim 1978), who affirm a ritual's capacity to transform social structures.
A conflict-resolving ritual transformation occurs in two ways. The first is resolving conflicts that occur between two or more people in order to reinstate a sense of mutually agreed-upon justice (redressive). The second is restoring stability, order, and harmony to social relations (reconciliation). Finally, as will be discussed, it is important to stress conflict-resolving rituals' particular meanings to participants, and potential therapeutic benefits (Al-Krenawi, In press a; Al-Krenawi and Graham 1996b, 1997; Gibbs 1963a, 1963b; Kiev 1964). Conflict-resolving rituals thus need to be understood systemically (Pincus and Minahan 1973) and ecologically (Germain and Gitterman 1980) in their reciprocal relationships between the individual, small group, community, and society (Al-Krenawi, In press a).
The article begins by discussing anthropological and allied disciplines' theoretical constructs of rituals. It then turns attention to the context of Bedouin society, and then to the Bisha itself. Next it discusses the individual, community, and social significance of two case study...