The Arab Mind

Author: Patai Raphael

Brand: Recovery Resources Press

Edition: Revised 2007

Number Of Pages: 496

Details: Product Description

The classic study of Arab culture and society is now more relevant than ever. Since its original publication in 1983, the revised edition of Raphael Patai’s The Arab Mind has been recognized as one of the seminal works in the field of Middle Eastern studies. This penetrating analysis unlocks the mysteries of Arab society to help us better understand a complex, proud and ancient culture. The Arab Minddiscusses the upbringing of a typical Arab boy or girl, the intense concern with honor and courage, the Arabs’ tendency toward extremes of behavior, and their ambivalent attitudes toward the West. Chapters are devoted to the influence of Islam, sexual mores, Arab language and Arab art, Bedouin values, Arab nationalism, and the pervasive influence of Westernization. With a new foreword by Norvell B. DeAtkine, Director of Middle East Studies at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C., this book unravels the complexities of Arab traditions and provides authentic revelations of Arab mind and character.

ONE OF THE GREAT LANDMARKS OF CULTURAL STUDIES
First published in 1973, revised in 1983, and now updated with new demographic information about the Arab world, The Arab Mind takes readers on a journey through the societies and peoples of a complex and volatile region. This sensitive study explores the historical origins of Arab nationalism, the distinctive rhetorical style of Arabic speakers and its effect on politics, traditional attitudes toward child-rearing practices, the status of women, the beauty of Arabic literature, and much more.

MORE RELEVANT NOW THAN EVER
Since September 11, the book s lessons have been misconstrued by some but have proven indispensable to those trying to truly understand the roots of the major political conflicts of our time. Patai s sympathetic but critical depiction of Arab culture explores the continuing role of the Bedouin values of honor and courage in modern Arab culture, inter-Arab conflict and the aspiration toward unity, and how anti-Western attitudes conflated with anti-modernization have led to stagnation in much of the Arab world.

DRAWS ON A LIFETIME OF EXPERTISE
Patai, a prominent anthropologist and historian, drew on both his research and his personal experience to produce this indispensable work in the field of Middle Eastern studies. With an updated foreword by Norvell B. DeAtkine, former director of Middle East Studies at the JFK Special Warfare School, The Arab Mind remains a relevant and crucial masterpiece of scholarship for anyone seeking to understand this multifaceted culture today.

Review

“A classic . . .one of the best expositions on the Arab world and Islam.” Jay Winik, best-selling author of April 1865: The Month that Saved America. –Review provided by reviewer

“A quarter-century-old book that I took with me to Baghdad last month helped explain what I saw when I got there.” James R. Pinkerton, Newsday. –Newsday

“A sympathetic wide-ranging study.” — The New Yorker

[A]n impressive spread of scholarship…a major contribution in an important field. –Publishers’ Weekly

About the Author

Raphael Patai was the author of over 600 articles and more than twenty books, including The Jewish Mind, The Seed of Abraham, Jadid al-Islam: The Jewish New Muslims, Of Meshhed, and Arab Folktales from Palestine and Israel. A native of Hungary, he began studying Arabic at the age of nineteen. Before coming to the United States, he lived for fifteen years in Palestine. Director of the Syria-Lebanon-Joran Research Project of the Human Relations Area Files of New Haven, Connecticut, he taught at Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. A prolific cultural anthropologist, historian, and biblical scholar, Dr. Patai died in 1996.

Norvell B. Tex De Atkine, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired) served eight years in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt (in addition to combat service in Vietnam). A West Pointer, he holds a graduate

Release Date: 15-09-2014

Package Dimensions: 28x229x826