Synopses & Reviews
Zachary Lockman's book offers a broad survey of the development of Western knowledge about Islam and the Middle East. Beginning with ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of the world, Lockman goes on to discuss European ideas about Islam from its emergence in the seventh century, with particular attention to the age of European imperialism, the era of deepening American involvement in this region, and the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Along the way, he explores how scholars and others in the West have studied and depicted Islam and the Middle East, focusing on the politics and controversies that have shaped Middle East studies in the United States over the past half century, including the debates over Said's influential critique, Orientalism. His book relates many of today's critical issues, including Muslim extremism, terrorism and United States policy in the Middle East, to their broader historical and political contexts. Zachary Lockman is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and History at New York University and a member of the American Historical Association. He has been a Guggenheim fellow and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars fellow. His work includes Comrades and Enemies (University of California Press, 1996), Workers and Working Classes in the Middle East, ed. (SUNY Press, 1993) and Workers on the Nile (Princeton, 1987).
Synopsis
The book offers a survey of Western knowledge about Islam and the Middle East, from conceptions of East and West in antiquity, through the emergence of Islam, to the present. It relates many of today's critical issues, including terrorism and Muslim extremism, to their broader historical and political contexts.
Synopsis
Lockman's book offers a broad survey of Western knowledge about Islam and the Middle East, beginning with Greek and Roman conceptions of the world, through the emergence of Islam, to the present. Along the way, it explores how scholars and others in Western societies, particularly in the United States over the last half century and in the wake of 9/11, have represented Islam and the Middle East. This book relates many of today's critical issues, including terrorism and the 'clash of civilizations', to their broader historical and political contexts.
Synopsis
An accessible and broad ranging survey of Western perceptions of Islam and the Middle East.
About the Author
Zachary Lockman teaches modern Middle Eastern history at New York University. His work has focused on Egypt, Palestine and Israel, and his publications include Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948 (1996).
Table of Contents
Introduction; 1. In the beginning; 2. Islam, the West and the rest; 3. Orientalism and Empire; 4. The American century; 5. Turmoil in the field; 6. Said's Orientalism: a book and its aftermath; 7. After Orientalism; Afterword.