Synopses & Reviews
The United States and Iran have been estranged for 25 years. They have carried out a mutual process of demonization that is unprecedented in modern history, based on cultural hot buttons that have the power to galvanize the populations of both countries. Iranian leaders have characterized the United States as the Great Satan—an evil corruptor that pollutes society and destroys personal morality. American leaders characterize the members of the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as Mad Mullahs, wild-eyed and irrational. Giving a thorough account of the background of U.S.-Iranian relations, Beeman claims that the current accusations of both Iran and the United States are baseless, consisting largely of public invective and symbolic rhetoric according to their own mythologies of evil.
American leaders characterize the members of the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as Mad Mullahs, wild-eyed and irrational. They accuse them of fomenting the hostage crisis, in which American embassy personnel were held for 444 days at the end of the Carter administration, dealing a severe blow to U.S. national honor. The Bush administration has further accused the Iranians of being part of an Axis of Evil on the basis of their alleged support of terrorists, oppression of women and minorities, and development of nuclear weapons. Giving a thorough account of the background of U.S.-Iranian relations, Beeman claims that the current accusations of both Iran and the United States are baseless, consisting largely of public invective and symbolic rhetoric according to their own mythologies of evil.
Review
"Bill Beeman, the author of the classic text, Language, Status and Power in Iran, returns now with a provocative and timely analysis of why Iranian and U.S. diplomats are caught in vicious circles of cultural miscommunication and mutual demonization. Must reading for diplomats, policy wonks, pundits, and concerned citizens." < p="">Michael M. J. Fischer, Professor of Anthropology and Science Technology Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of < i=""> Mute Dreams, Blind Owls, and Dispersed Knowledges: Persian Poesis in the Transnational Circuity < i=""> <>
Review
"Bill Beeman is perfectly attuned to Iran's secular and Shi'ite cultures. He has translated his profound 'feel' for Iran into a work that makes it possible for an American audience to understand and even empathize with Iranians. Until the United States Government is capable of doing that, however, little progress can be made in fashioning a new relation with Iran." < p="">Marvin Zonis, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago <>
Review
"If you want to know why we are so ignorant about the United States-Iran relations, read this book. Never before has the mutual demonization between these two governments been so systematically described and analyzed from an anthropological perspective. Rooted in their histories, mythologies, and cultures, the conflict between them, the author argues, is essentially symbolic rather than substantive. Therefore, reconciliation between the two countries is 'inevitable,' but the challenge ahead lies in finding a way to make it happen." < p="">R. K. Ramazani, Edward R. Stettinius Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Virginia <>
Review
"Bill Beeman, the author of the classic text, Language, Status and Power in Iran, returns now with a provocative and timely analysis of why Iranian and U.S. diplomats are caught in vicious circles of cultural miscommunication and mutual demonization. Must reading for diplomats, policy wonks, pundits, and concerned citizens."
Review
Bill Beeman is perfectly attuned to Iran's secular and Shi'ite cultures. He has translated his profound 'feel' for Iran into a work that makes it possible for an American audience to understand and even empathize with Iranians. Until the United States Government is capable of doing that, however, little progress can be made in fashioning a new relation with Iran.Marvin Zonis Graduate School of Business University of Chicago
Review
"[B]eeman is a good writer, who eschews the scholarly jargon that frequently makes academic books and articles unintelligble to all but specialists in a specific field. He is writing for the non-specialist, and he is more interested in informing the reader than in impressing his peers. The other strength of the book lies in the author's knowledge of Iranian history and culture. Beeman's discussion of economic development under the Pahlavi monarchy and how Americans in the country lived at the time is imformative, and his observation that Iranians hate being told what to do by people with whom they have no relationship should be taken under advisement by everybody….The Great Satan vs. the Mad MullahS≪/i> raises many questions and is problematic, those are additional reasons for reading it. It challenges the reader and forces him to question stereotypes about Iran and Washington's perspective on the country. It also encourages the reader to consider Tehran's perceptions." - Middle East Journal
Review
"Regardless of the reader's viewpoint, this book is a challenging analysis by an anthropologist of an international conflict that threatens to get out of control. For that reason alone, this is a timely book." - MultiCultural Review
Review
"William Beeman's analysis of dissonant perceptions of Iran and USA is compelling and important for everyone, citizen or policyshaper, who wishes to understand or influence relations between Islam, Iran, and us. He speaks knowledgeably, wisely, and plainly, based on direct experience…. I am particularly grateful for this work." < p="">James Peacock, Kenan Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill <>
Review
"William Beeman stands first among American anthropologists in applying an understanding of cultural patterns to foreign policy, especially in connecting conflicts between Iran and the United States with underlying differences in patterns of thought and expression. Everyone concerned with policy making and reporting on the Middle East needs to study his thoughtful analyses." < p="">Mary Catherine Bateson, author of < i=""> Willing to Learn: Passages of Personal Discovery < i=""> <>
Synopsis
Exposes the hostile U.S.-Iranian relationship as the result of a pervasive yet unnecessary mutual demonization, full of vengeful myth mongering and retribution for past injuries, not the result of an actual mutual threat.
Synopsis
The United States and Iran have been estranged for 25 years. They have carried out a mutual process of demonization that is unprecedented in modern history, based on cultural "hot buttons" that have the power to galvanize the populations of both countries. Iranian leaders have characterized the United States as the Great Satan--an evil corruptor that pollutes society and destroys personal morality. These leaders readily make the analogy between the United States and the Umayyid rulers who in 680 C.E. killed the Imam Hussein, the central religious figure in the history of the Iranian state religion, Twelver Shi'ism. American leaders characterize the members of the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as "Mad Mullahs," wild-eyed and irrational. They accuse them of fomenting the hostage crisis, in which American embassy personnel were held for 444 days at the end of the Carter administration, dealing a severe blow to U.S. national honor. The Bush administration has further accused the Iranians of being part of an "Axis of Evil" on the basis of their alleged support of terrorists, oppression of women and minorities, and development of nuclear weapons. Giving a thorough account of the background of U.S.-Iranian relations, Beeman claims that the current accusations of both Iran and the United States are baseless, consisting largely of public invective and symbolic rhetoric according to their own mythologies of evil.
About the Author
WILLIAM O. BEEMAN is Professor of Anthropology and Director of Middle East Studies at Brown University. He has lived and conducted research for over 30 years in all areas of the Middle East. He has served as a consultant to the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense, and has testified before Congress on Middle Eastern affairs. He is the President-Elect of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association (2005-2006) and will serve as President from autumn 2006 until 2008, then as Outgoing President from 2008 to 2009.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Discourse and Demonization
American Myths
Middle Eastern Myths
Discourse and Rhetoric
Images of the Great Satan
Images of the Mad Mullah
The Framework of U.S. Iranian Relations
The Sins of the United States
The Sins of Iran
The Birth of Post-modern Conflict: How Iranian Media Came of Age
Living with Iran: Resistance as Post-modern Discourse