Lila Abu-Lughod, author of Veiled Sentiments, traveled to the Western Desert of Egypt to study ghinnawa poetry of the Awlad 'Ali Bedouin tribe. The daughter of a Caucasian American woman and an Arab American father, Abu-Lughod was introduced to the Awlad 'Ali by her father. She lived with the tribe as an adopted daughter for two years between 1978 and 1980.