Synopses & Reviews
Praise for the Prior Edition
This review and update of A Concise History of the Middle East makes it once again the premier text for the study of the Middle East. Goldschmidt and Davidsons well-written and solidly argued analyses of the most important and crucial developments of Middle Eastern history and politics . . . could not be timelier. . . . It will be a favorite of students and professors alike.” Robert Olson, University of Kentucky
This is a text that breathes life into the history it presents. The authors both care deeply about the region and . . . are not afraid to spell out these complexities in a style that is at once accessible and gently provocative.” Joel Gordon, University of Arkansas
Our students and faculty alike have found this to be a well-organized, comprehensive, balanced, and exceptionally readable textbook. The authors blend significant historical detail with timely political analysis in a cogent style that is compelling and lucid. . . . A one-of-a-kind introduction to the Middle East.” Donald Wagner, North Park University, Chicago
The tenth edition of this widely acclaimed text by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson has been revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment. It focuses on the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, the modernization efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the ArabIsraeli conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, and the roles of Iraq and Iran in post-9/11 Middle East. The tenth edition is streamlined for more accessible reading and includes a new chapter on the recent Arab uprisings.
Resources for instructors are available online at westviewpress.com, including an updated bibliographic essay and a test bank.
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. is professor emeritus of Middle East history at Penn State University. He is the author of Modern Egypt: The Formation of a Nation-State, and the recipient of the Amoco Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching and the 2000 Middle East Studies Association Mentoring Award.
Lawrence Davidson is professor of history at West Chester University. He is the author of several books, including Americas Palestine and Islamic Fundamentalism.
Review
"
A Concise History of the Middle East is a studious and scholarly delve into history and the explorations of culture, offering an informed perspective on these events, a vital read."
The Midwest Book Review
Praise for Prior Editions:
"Our students and faculty alike have found this to be a well-organized, comprehensive, balanced, and exceptionally readable textbook. The authors blend significant historical detail with timely political analysis in a cogent style that is compelling and lucid. The addition of frequent biographical sketches and side-bars on major events or political terms bring additional features that make this a compelling and one of a kind introduction to the Middle East."
Donald Wagner, North Park University, Chicago
"This review and update of A Concise History of the Middle East makes it once again the premier text for the study of the Middle East. Goldschmidt and Davidsons well-written and solidly argued analyses of the most important and crucial developments of Middle Eastern history and politics
could not be timelier
It will be a favorite of students and professors alike."
Robert Olson, University of Kentucky
"This is a text that breathes life into the history it presents. The authors both care deeply about the regionand both recognize the responsibility of their American readers (their primary readers) to understand, and in a general sense sympathize, with the life struggles of the people whose history they presentand whose history has become increasingly intertwined with American global interests, often times, as they recognize and relate, to the detriment of people in the Middle East. The authors are not afraid to spell out these complexities in a style that is at once accessible and gently provocative. This is a text with personality."
Joel Gordon, University of Arkansas
"As someone who has encountered the run of good, fair and middling texts on the Middle East, I can only offer unmixed praise for the new edition of A Concise History of the Middle East by Art Goldschmidt and Lawrence Davidson. Their narrative of the region's quite long history, too often opaque to Westerners, is sparklingly clear and straightforward for even the 'general reader'. They meticulously avoid bias, especially when they explore the tumultuous factors of modernization and westernization in battle against residual forces of ethno-cultural traditionalism. Throughout their remarkable text, they balance a clear treatment of politics and diplomacy, familiar from earlier generations of scholarship with insights into the region's historically evolving norms of society and culture."
Mark Seifter, Lehigh Carbon Community College
"I have used A Concise History of the Middle East as the principal textbook in my Middle East history course for the past twelve years. Student feedback regarding the book has always been positive, as the book is not only greatly informative, touching on a multitude of topics, but very readable as well. Its an excellent choice for students who have little, if any, previous knowledge of the history of the Middle East."
José E. Alvarez, University of Houston
"Well organized
straightforward and easy to follow
Designed to help the student acquire a basic understanding of Middle East history from the 7th century until the present."
Choice
"An invaluable introduction and a useful reference book for the nonspecialist."
Journal of Palestine Studies
"Excellent. Nice active voice, engaging, comprehensive, balanced. Particularly the coverage on early Islam."
Gina Cirali, Fordham University
"The best single source I have found to introduce undergraduates to the Middle East."
Geraldine Forbes, State University of New York at Oswego
"A lively and interesting account that is likely to allow students to understand and learn more than they might from a stuffy academic text
Thorough and carefully balanced."
The History Teacher
"A Concise History of the Middle East is a studious and scholarly delve into history and the explorations of culture, offering an informed perspective on these events, a vital read."
The Midwest Book Review
Praise for Prior Editions:
"Our students and faculty alike have found this to be a well-organized, comprehensive, balanced, and exceptionally readable textbook. The authors blend significant historical detail with timely political analysis in a cogent style that is compelling and lucid. The addition of frequent biographical sketches and side-bars on major events or political terms bring additional features that make this a compelling and one of a kind introduction to the Middle East."
Donald Wagner, North Park University, Chicago
"This review and update of A Concise History of the Middle East makes it once again the premier text for the study of the Middle East. Goldschmidt and Davidsons well-written and solidly argued analyses of the most important and crucial developments of Middle Eastern history and politics
could not be timelier
It will be a favorite of students and professors alike."
Robert Olson, University of Kentucky
"This is a text that breathes life into the history it presents. The authors both care deeply about the regionand both recognize the responsibility of their American readers (their primary readers) to understand, and in a general sense sympathize, with the life struggles of the people whose history they presentand whose history has become increasingly intertwined with American global interests, often times, as they recognize and relate, to the detriment of people in the Middle East. The authors are not afraid to spell out these complexities in a style that is at once accessible and gently provocative. This is a text with personality."
Joel Gordon, University of Arkansas
"As someone who has encountered the run of good, fair and middling texts on the Middle East, I can only offer unmixed praise for the new edition of A Concise History of the Middle East by Art Goldschmidt and Lawrence Davidson. Their narrative of the region's quite long history, too often opaque to Westerners, is sparklingly clear and straightforward for even the 'general reader'. They meticulously avoid bias, especially when they explore the tumultuous factors of modernization and westernization in battle against residual forces of ethno-cultural traditionalism. Throughout their remarkable text, they balance a clear treatment of politics and diplomacy, familiar from earlier generations of scholarship with insights into the region's historically evolving norms of society and culture."
Mark Seifter, Lehigh Carbon Community College
"I have used A Concise History of the Middle East as the principal textbook in my Middle East history course for the past twelve years. Student feedback regarding the book has always been positive, as the book is not only greatly informative, touching on a multitude of topics, but very readable as well. Its an excellent choice for students who have little, if any, previous knowledge of the history of the Middle East."
José E. Alvarez, University of Houston
"Well organized
straightforward and easy to follow
Designed to help the student acquire a basic understanding of Middle East history from the 7th century until the present."
Choice
"An invaluable introduction and a useful reference book for the nonspecialist."
Journal of Palestine Studies
"Excellent. Nice active voice, engaging, comprehensive, balanced. Particularly the coverage on early Islam."
Gina Cirali, Fordham University
"The best single source I have found to introduce undergraduates to the Middle East."
Geraldine Forbes, State University of New York at Oswego
"A lively and interesting account that is likely to allow students to understand and learn more than they might from a stuffy academic text
Thorough and carefully balanced."
The History Teacher
Review
Praise for the third edition:“No other work gives one such a sense of the scope and substance of the major traditions of feminist theory. This richly transformed new edition of Feminist Thought is an indispensable resource for those who want to understand the theoretical origins and complexities of contemporary feminist debates. Tong’s comprehensive understanding of feminist theory enabled her to craft an indispensable overview that clearly illustrates the challenges as well as the promises of the range of approaches, perspectives, and frameworks that comprise feminist efforts to identify sources of oppression and transform women’s status as the ‘second sex.’”
—Nancy Tuana, Penn State University
“The third edition of Feminist Thought is an invaluable guide to all scholars and students of feminist theories. It provides a comprehensive overview of the richly diverse set of perspectives that guide feminist theory and action. Rosemarie Tong is generous, respectful, and even-handed in her clear and eloquent presentation of the strengths of each perspective, while providing fair but challenging criticism of its limitations. This edition improves on its excellent predecessors by being more comprehensive, more persuasive in its categorization of several theorists, and more helpful in understanding the relations among multicultural, global, and postcolonial feminist approaches. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to engage with feminist theory.”
—Susan Sherwin, University Research Professor, Philosophy and Gender and Women's Studies, Dalhousie University
“The best introduction to feminist theory is now even better! Rewritten with substantially new chapters on multicultural, global, and postcolonial feminism, care-focused feminist thought, psychoanalytic feminism, and contemporary socialist feminist theory, this new edition of Feminist Thought provides an updated account of the rich traditions of feminist thought and brings them more fully into dialogue on behalf of future possibilities. Current, crystal clear, comprehensive, and critical: It is indispensable for both beginning students and more advanced readers.”
—John J. Stuhr, Emory University
"As in previous editions, Rosemarie Tong helps us understand better what we thought we knew, provides us with an easy entry into new perspectives we would like to know more about, and weaves it all together into a beautiful quilt she calls Feminist Thought. Just what is needed for teachers and students!"
—James P. Sterba, co-author of Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men?
Praise for the second edition:
“…provide[s] meaningful examples of how feminist theory can contribute to reconciling the needs for diversity and difference with those for integration and unity, precisely identifying and recognizing those differences as important ones.”
— Gender, Technology, and Development
”The first edition of Feminist Thought published in 1989 was at the time regarded as one of the most invaluable guides through a wide diversity of complex, feminist thought. This second, more comprehensive edition shares all the virtues of the first. Rosemarie Putman Tong has that rare gift of being able to critically grapple with, yet fully respect, the substance of widely differing feminist critical approaches. In turn the reader is guided to think critically, respectfully and sympathetically.”
— Women’s Philosophy Review
“Tong has done it again! This eagerly awaited new edition of Feminist Thought provides an up-to-date, critical introduction of the major traditions in feminist theory. New chapters on ecofeminism and multicultural and global feminism make this book an indispensable introduction to the diversity of feminist thought. Providing a clear and comprehensive examination of emerging perspectives in feminist theorizing, Feminist Thought is an essential resource for students and thinkers who want to understand the theoretical origins and complexities of contemporary feminist debates.”
— Nancy Tuana, University of Oregon
“I have looked at the revised edition of Rosemarie Tong’s Feminist Thought, and like it very much. My students loved the original for its clarity and comprehensiveness; they will appreciate the new, updated one still more. I recommend it highly!”
— Laura Purdy, University of Toronto and Wells College
“An illuminating, up-to-date discussion of the many varieties of feminism. Invaluable for scholars and students alike. Tong has surpassed herself.”
— James P. Sterba, University of Notre Dame
Praise for the first edition:
“Nicely balanced, eminently readable.… As an overview of the immense variety and richness of activist, literary, and philosophical feminist thought, this is a very good book. It should find its niche in women’s studies programs.… It is a book that feminist sociologists should read.”
— Contemporary Sociology
“Simply a splendid survey of all the major ways of theorizing about women in contemporary society.… This is an ideal book for introducing students and nonstudents alike to the strengths and the richness of our feminist intellectual traditions.”
— Sandra Bartky, University of Illinois–Chicago
“More than a survey; an original, critical analysis that pushes the frontiers of political thought as thought by feminists.”
— Jean Bethke Elshtain, Vanderbilt University
“This is an excellent book—-beautifully written, clear, philosophically probing, and insightful—-just what I would expect from Rosemarie Tong. I especially appreciate having the discussions of psychoanalytic, existentialist, and postmodern feminism, which give the book more breadth than other overviews of feminist theory.”
— Susan Wendell, Simon Fraser University
Synopsis
The classic in its field; straightforward, chronological re-telling of the history of the Middle East.
Synopsis
The classic bestseller on the history of the Middle East by renowned scholars Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson, updated to reflect the latest scholarship and recent events in this turbulent region.
Synopsis
The tenth edition of this widely acclaimed text by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson has been revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment. It focuses on the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, the modernization efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the struggle of various peoples for political independence, the course of the ArabIsraeli conflict, the reassertion of Islamic values and power, the issues surrounding the Palestinian Question, and the roles of Iraq and Iran in the post-9/11 Middle East. The tenth edition includes a new chapter, In the Season of Arab Discontent,” that outlines the achievements and problems created by the recent Arab uprisings. In addition, earlier chapters have been streamlined for more accessible reading, and two popular study aids, the chronology and the glossary, have been revised.
Resources for instructors are available online atwestviewpress.com, including an updated bibliographic essay and test questions.
Synopsis
A critical introduction to the major traditions of feminist theory, now with new considerations of existential feminism and a conclusion reflecting on the future of feminist theory
Synopsis
Feminist Thought offers a clear, comprehensive, and incisive introduction to the major traditions of feminist theory, from liberal feminism, radical feminism, and Marxist and socialist feminism to care-focused feminism, psychoanalytic feminism, and ecofeminism. The fourth edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded, including a new section on existentialism as it relates to postmodern feminism in Chapter 5, and a new conclusion that contemplates third-wave feminism and the future directions of feminist theory. Chapter 6 on women of color feminisms was also significantly revised and expanded by Tina Botts of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Learning tools like the new end-of-chapter discussion questions, and the bibliography, organized by topics within chapters, make Feminist Thought an essential resource for students and thinkers who want to understand the theoretical origins and complexities of contemporary feminist debates.
About the Author
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. is professor emeritus of Middle East history at Penn State University. He is the author of
Modern Egypt: The Formation of a Nation-State, and the recipient of the Amoco Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching and the 2000 Middle East Studies Association Mentoring Award.
Lawrence Davidson is professor of history at West Chester University. He is the author of several books, including Americas Palestine and Islamic Fundamentalism.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction What Is History?
Then and Now, There and Here
The Physical Setting
Some Descriptive Geography
Conclusion
2 The Middle East Before Muhammad
Persia and Rome
The Arabs
Conclusion
3 The First Muslim Revolution
Muhammads Early Life
The Emigration (Hijra)
AISHA BINT ABI-BAKR
What Do Muslims Believe?
What Muslims Must Do
Conclusion
4 The Early Arab Conquests
The Succession Issue
The Initial Conquests
The Beginnings of Islamic Government
Dissension in the Umma
Changes in the Government of Islam
MUAWIYA IBN-ABI-SUFYAN
Conclusion
5 The High Caliphate
Restoration of the Umayyad Order
The Downfall of the Umayyads
The Abbasid Caliphate
MAMUN
The Decline of the Abbasids
Conclusion
6 Shiites and Turks, Crusaders and Mongols
Shiite Islam in Power
The Turks
The Crusades
The Mongol Invasion
HULEGU KHAN
Conclusion
7 Islamic Civilization
The Rules and Laws of Islam
Development of Jurisprudence
Islamic Society
Intellectual and Cultural Life
Theology
AHMAD IBN HANBAL
Conclusion
8 Firearms, Slaves, and Empires
The Mamluks
The Mongol Il-Khanids
Gunpowder Technology
The Ottoman Empire
ORHAN
Persia Under the Safavids
Conclusion
9 European Interests and Imperialism
Ottoman Weakness
The European Powers and the Eastern Question
THE KOPRULU FAMILY OF VIZIERS
Conclusion
10 Westernizing Reform in the Nineteenth Century
Egypts Transformation
Westernization of the Ottoman Empire
MUSTAFA RESHID PASHA
Persia Under the Qajars
Conclusion: Afterthoughts
11 The Rise of Nationalism
Egyptian Nationalism
AHMAD URABI
Ottomanism, Pan-Islam, and Turkism
Nationalism in Persia
The Constitutionalist Movement
Conclusion
12 The Roots of Arab Bitterness
Arab Nationalism
World War I
The Postwar Peace Settlement
FAYSAL IBN AL HUSAYN
Conclusion
13 Modernizing Rulers in the Independent States
Turkey: Phoenix from the Ashes
MUSTAFA KEMAL (ATATURK)
From Persia to Iran
The Rise of Saudi Arabia
Conclusion
14 Egypt and the Fertile Crescent
Under European Control
Egypts Struggle for Independence
The Creation of New States in the Fertile Crescent
Phony Democracy and False Independence
KING FARUQ
World War II
Postwar Egypt
Egypts Era of Political Frustration
Independence for Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq
Conclusion
15 The Contest for Palestine
Origins
Political Zionism
The Beginnings of Political Zionism
Britain and the Palestine Problem
AMIN AL-HUSAYNI
Conclusion
16 Israels Rebirth and the Rise of Arab Nationalism
Israels War for Independence
The Wars Aftermath
The Arab Countries
Israels Early Years
DAVID BEN-GURION
Middle Eastern Oil
The Great Powers and the Arab World
Rising Arab-Israeli Tensions
Conclusion
17 War and the Quest for Peace
The June 1967 War
The Palestinians
Abortive Peace Efforts
Political Changes: 19671970
ANWAR AL-SADAT
Danger Signs in the Middle East
The October (Yom Kippur) War
The Wars Aftermath
Lebanon: The Arena for a New Arab Struggle
The Road to Camp David
Conclusion
18 The Reassertion of Islamic Power
The Changing Role of Religion in Politics
The Iranian Revolution
SAYYID RUHOLLAH MUSAVI KHOMEINI
The Struggle for Gulf Supremacy
The Retreat from Camp David
Western Policy Formation and Islamic Polity
Conclusion
19 The Gulf War and the Peace Process
The Gulf Crisis
Operation Desert Storm
The Palestinians: Their Struggle and an Elusive Peace
YASIR ARAFAT
Whither Islam?
Conclusion
20 The War on Terrorism
Survey of Terrorism
OSAMA BIN LADEN
The Iraq War
The Contest for Palestine (Redux)
Conclusion
21 In the Season of Arab Discontent
Some Background
Rebellion Across the Region
Repercussions in the Non-Arab Middle East
Conclusion
Chronology
Glossary
Appendix Table 1: Basic Statistics for Middle Eastern Countries
Appendix Table 2: How Many Palestinians (2007)?