Jonathan Benthall's stimulating comment on my essay on civil society and tribal processin Jordan has five specific criticisms: I pay no attention to gender; I underestimate the importanceof mass media; I neglect the fact that Jordan is an aid economy with the implied necessity offinding formal organizations through which to funnel spending; I emphasize the importance ofkinship ties, although kinship puts a brake on the country's progress and on meritocracy;and I emphasize the importance of tribal process when it is precisely that process that reinforcesreactionary trends. I shall briefly address these matters, then focus on the issues underlying ourdifferences. In that way, I hope to advance the discourse.