R. Stephen Humphreys
Between Memory and Desire
The Middle East in a Troubled Age
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978-0-520-24691-1
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328 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 1 map, 2 tables
November 2005, Available worldwide
Categories: Middle Eastern Studies; Politics; Islam; Middle Eastern History
November 2005, Available worldwide
Categories: Middle Eastern Studies; Politics; Islam; Middle Eastern History
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION:
"Humphreys brings a historian's deep and dispassionate perspective to the modern Middle East. In Between Memory and Desire, he poses incisive questions, elaborates convincing arguments and does not shy from tackling the prickliest of topics. All this is achieved with an eye for telling detail and a concise style that is rare in academic writingÉ. Humphreys's work is in the best tradition of writing on foreign cultures. Objective yet sympathetic, scholarly yet accessible, his book ends up revealing as much about our own society as about those it describes."—Max Rodenbeck, New York Times Book Review
"In this sober and highly informative book, Humphreys introduces educated readers to the nuances of Middle Eastern political and social discourse. He goes behind the headlines and offers a sophisticated and yet accessible analysis of Islamic polity for Western readers."—Library Journal
"'People know a lot of things that aren't so,' warns Stephen Humphreys, and then he tells us all we should really know about the Middle East—a vast, complex, and frequently misunderstood universe. It is a rare achievement that combines erudition, compelling writing, and personal experience."—Meron Benvenisti, author of City of Stone
"Humphreys brings a historian's deep and dispassionate perspective to the modern Middle East. In Between Memory and Desire, he poses incisive questions, elaborates convincing arguments and does not shy from tackling the prickliest of topics. All this is achieved with an eye for telling detail and a concise style that is rare in academic writingÉ. Humphreys's work is in the best tradition of writing on foreign cultures. Objective yet sympathetic, scholarly yet accessible, his book ends up revealing as much about our own society as about those it describes."—Max Rodenbeck, New York Times Book Review
"In this sober and highly informative book, Humphreys introduces educated readers to the nuances of Middle Eastern political and social discourse. He goes behind the headlines and offers a sophisticated and yet accessible analysis of Islamic polity for Western readers."—Library Journal
"'People know a lot of things that aren't so,' warns Stephen Humphreys, and then he tells us all we should really know about the Middle East—a vast, complex, and frequently misunderstood universe. It is a rare achievement that combines erudition, compelling writing, and personal experience."—Meron Benvenisti, author of City of Stone
Middle Easterners today struggle to find solutions to crises of economic stagnation, political gridlock, and cultural identity. In recent decades Islam has become central to this struggle, and almost every issue involves fierce, sometimes violent debates over the role of religion in public life. In this post-9/11 updated edition R. Stephen Humphreys presents a thoughtful analysis of Islam's place in today's Middle East and integrates the medieval and modern history of the region to show how the sacred and secular are tightly interwoven in its political and intellectual life.
Preface to the 2005 Edition
Preface to the First Edition
Acknowledgments
1. Hard Realities: Population Growth and Economic Stagnation
2. From Imperialism to the New World Order: The Middle East in Search of a Future
3. The Strange Career of Pan-Arabism
4. The Shaping of Foreign Policy: The Myth of the Middle East Madman
5. Military Dictatorship and Political Tradition in the Middle East
6. Profane and Sacred Politics: The Ends of Power in the Middle East
7. Islam as a Political System
8. Jihad and the Politics of Salvation
9. Women in Public Life: Islamic Perspectives, Middle Eastern Realities
10. Islam and Human Rights
Toward a Conclusion—Between Memory and Desire
Notes
A Bibliographic Note
Index
Preface to the First Edition
Acknowledgments
1. Hard Realities: Population Growth and Economic Stagnation
2. From Imperialism to the New World Order: The Middle East in Search of a Future
3. The Strange Career of Pan-Arabism
4. The Shaping of Foreign Policy: The Myth of the Middle East Madman
5. Military Dictatorship and Political Tradition in the Middle East
6. Profane and Sacred Politics: The Ends of Power in the Middle East
7. Islam as a Political System
8. Jihad and the Politics of Salvation
9. Women in Public Life: Islamic Perspectives, Middle Eastern Realities
10. Islam and Human Rights
Toward a Conclusion—Between Memory and Desire
Notes
A Bibliographic Note
Index
Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East since1945, Updated Edition, with a Post-9/11 Chapter, by Melani McAlister
The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War, by Mehran Kamrava
Muslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh, With a New Preface for 2003, by Gilles Kepel
Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-Politics, Modernity, by Timothy Mitchell
The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution, by Dan Smith<
The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War, by Mehran Kamrava
Muslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh, With a New Preface for 2003, by Gilles Kepel
Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-Politics, Modernity, by Timothy Mitchell
The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution, by Dan Smith<