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The Arab Mind
written by Raphael Patai
Studio : Red Brick Press
by Red Brick Press
Release Date : 2007-08-28
Publisher : Red Brick Press
Released : 2007-08-28
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9781578262458
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 53 reviews)
List Price : $17.95
Our Price : $54.27
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Product Description |
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. |
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I read this book about twenty years ago |
I'll be sincere.I didn't read the last ediction of this book.In fact, I read an ediction writen in 1970 decade.And this happened more than twenty years ago.
The author, really knows the arabs.
Beyond any doubt, the best chpater of this book is about arabs and sex.Islamic believes sents women into an inferior status and sex segregation transforms, sex into a central thing among arabs' minds.
Failures of this book were small.At first, the book's name could be "The Islamic Mind", because all islamic world is emulating arab world.See women with veils in Indonesia, Nigeria,etc. |
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An essential read of great importance |
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Raphael Patai was a very learned and reputable anthropologist, fluent and widely read in Arabic, who evinced a great affection for the subject matter: the Arab people. Many may be immediately put off by the fact that he was Jewish, and may assume therefore that his assessments and insights are biased and irrelevant. Far from it. Patai's vast knowledge of the cultural roots, social structure, and background which inform the 'traditional' Arab world mindset, along with much more, make this work an essential read. Yes, the book has its flaws, but do not throw out the baby with the bathwater, as some (or many) 'politically correct' adherents would have you do, and overlook this book. 'The Arab Mind' truly deserves the high praise shown for it in the editorial reviews, and elsewhere. |
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The Arab Mind |
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A surprisingly comprehensive explanation, with documentation and examples, of what the author has learned about Arab thinking and culture over a lifetime of study. Clearly presented, and quite readable. However, I suggest following up with another author of comparable stature, for comparison. Patai's views, while having an apparent objectivity (including quotations from prominent Arabs) present a culture that an American mind finds distasteful in its harshness and ethics. The Arab Mind is a valuable book, but it would be valuable to determine if it is biased or objective. |
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Gaping holes in research filled by author's imagination |
This book is so poorly researched that it cannot be considered academically useful. It is also clearly out-of-touch with the reality of Arab culture, appealing to popular prejudice and sensationalism more than cited sources, let alone interviews with real Arabs about the conclusions drawn.
When the author does cite sources, which he often does, his own psychoanalysis weighs much more heavily on the conclusions he draws than any researched factoid that he happens to mention.
For example, he makes a big deal out of an obscure reference which suggests that Arabs fondle the genitals of their male babies. Though the source refers to a particular region, he says that we can safely assume that it is practiced everywhere. He then goes on to describe how this practice is responsible for all the misogyny and sexual repression in Arab society.
In reality, parents in many cultures fondle their babies' genitals, and see nothing wrong with it, although it is frowned upon in American culture. It clearly does not have the same effects in these other cultures that Patai would have us believe it has on Arabs. This is just one example, though, of citing a source, expanding it to include the whole Arab world, and then drawing far-reaching conclusions based on the author's version of Freudian psychoanalysis. This kind of thing occurs repeatedly in this book.
The book is very unkind to Arabs, and is written in a way that attempts to mask gross sensationalism under a veneer of intellectual inquiry. It serves to confirm deep-seated prejudices that Westerners have against Arabs, and Muslims in general.
The book is like the Da Vinci Code, in that it is presented as well-researched, and contains enough semblance of truth to overcome the reader's initial suspicion, but then continues to present pure fantasy under the guise of fact. The only difference is that Dan Brown admits that the Da Vinci Code is fiction.
I do not think anybody should read this book. It does not provide useful information, and it is grossly misleading. It will be most enjoyed by those prejudiced against Arabs, because it will confirm their most vicious biases, and by those who like to read academic-sounding things about sex. This book has tremendous potential to severely damage constructive relations between the West and both Arabs and Islam. |
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CAUTION FOR OUR MILITARY: research book before reading |
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Get some outside scholarly opinions before considering this book. A simple Wikipedia search will suffice (be sure to read the entry's references). The book's popularity and revival mostly comes from neoconservatives and, in turn, the Pentagon's use of the book as a basis for understanding the Arab culture and, subsequently, creating interrogation/torture techniques to be used on Arabs. From other scholars' views, this book seems by no means to be a work of which to base notions upon the Arab culture. "The book is described as simplistic, reductionist, stereotyping, generic, essentialist, outdated, superseded, flawed, unscientific and even intellectually dishonest by other scholars." It saddens me that this book is given to our men and women in the armed forces. We can do better, and so can you: do the research. |
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