Contending Visions of the Middle East: The History and Politics of Orientalism (The Contemporary Middle East)

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). "Zachary Lockman's informed and thoughtful history of European Orientalism and U.S. Middle East studies, the 'clash of civilizations' debate and America's involvement in the region has become a highly recommended and widely used text since its publication in 2004. The second edition of Professor Lockman's book brings his analysis up to date by considering how the study of the Middle East has evolved in the intervening years, in the context of the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the 'global war on terror'"--Provided by publisher. "Zachary Lockman's informed and thoughtful history of European Orientalism and U.S. Middle East studies, the 'clash of civilizations' debate and America's involvement in the region has become a highly recommended and widely used text since its publication in 2004. The second edition of Professor Lockman's book brings his analysis up to date by considering how the study of theMiddle East has evolved in the intervening years, in the context of the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the 'global war on terror'. ZACHARY LOCKMAN teachesmodernMiddle Eastern history atNew York University. His previous publications include Comrades and Enemies: Arab and Jewish Workers in Palestine, 1906-1948 (1996). He has served as president of the Middle East Studies Association, speaks and writes widely on current events in the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy, and is a contributing editor of Middle East Report. i"--Provided by publisher. 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, the book 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, Lockman 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. This book relates many of today's critical issues, including Muslim extremism, terrorism and United States policy in the Middle East, to the broader historical and political contexts. -- Publisher description "Zachary Lockman's book offers a broad survey of the development of Western knowledge about Islam and the region we today call the Middle East. Beginning with ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of the world, this book goes on to discuss European perceptions of Islam from its emergence in the seventh century down to the present, with particular attention to the age of European imperialism, the era of deepening American involvement in this region, and the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks."--BOOK JACKET 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 Zachary Lockman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 273-303) And Index.