Understanding Arabs A Contemporary Guide to Arab Society
, by Nydell, Margaret K.Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780983955801 | 0983955808
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 4/16/2012
The Definitive Guide to Understanding Arab Culture Now Completely Updated with Expert Arab Spring Coverage and Insight
Dr. Margaret Nydell is a widely respected scholar and professor of Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic dialectology, and many Arabic regional dialects. She was an Arabic linguist for the Foreign Service Institute and the U.S. Department of State, and has directed the latter's School of Advanced Arabic Training in Tunisia. The author of ten books, she currently lectures on Arab cultural orientation for numerous government and private organizations. Dr. Nydell holds a master's degree in Arabic and a PhD in applied linguistics, both from Georgetown University. She has lived and worked in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Cairo.
A Message from the Author | p. xi |
The Arab Spring | p. xii |
Terrorism | p. xiv |
Looking to the Future | p. xx |
Map of the Arab World | p. xxii |
Preface | p. xxiii |
Introduction: Patterns of Change | p. xxix |
Modernization | p. xxix |
The Arab Human Development Reports | p. xxxiv |
The Effects of Change | p. xxxiv |
The Muslim View | p. xxxvi |
Islamic Education | p. xxxvii |
Facing the Future | p. xxxviii |
Beliefs and Values | p. 1 |
Basic Arab Values and Attitudes | p. 3 |
Basic Arab Self-Perceptions | p. 4 |
Friends and Strangers | p. 5 |
The Concept of Friendship | p. 5 |
Reciprocal Favors | p. 5 |
Introductions | p. 7 |
Visiting Patterns | p. 8 |
Business Friendships | p. 10 |
Office Relations | p. 11 |
Criticism | p. 12 |
Intermediaries | p. 13 |
Private and Public Manners | p. 14 |
Emotion and Logic | p. 17 |
Objectivity and Subjectivity | p. 17 |
Fatalism | p. 18 |
What Is Reality? | p. 18 |
The Human Dimension | p. 20 |
Persuasion | p. 21 |
Getting Personal | p. 23 |
Personal Questions | p. 23 |
Sensitive Subjects | p. 24 |
Social Distance | p. 25 |
Gestures | p. 27 |
Names | p. 28 |
Men and Women | p. 33 |
Social Interaction | p. 33 |
Displaying Intimacy | p. 35 |
The Status of Women | p. 35 |
Women's Right to Vote | p. 38 |
Women in Government Positions | p. 39 |
Women's Power in the Family | p. 39 |
The Headscarf and the Veil | p. 40 |
Polygamy | p. 43 |
Traditional Gender Roles | p. 44 |
Western Women | p. 45 |
Looking Toward the Future | p. 46 |
Social Formalities and Etiquette | p. 47 |
Hospitality | p. 47 |
Time and Appointments | p. 49 |
Discussing Business | p. 50 |
Sharing Meals | p. 51 |
Smoking | p. 54 |
Rules of Etiquette | p. 55 |
The Social Structure | p. 59 |
Social Classes | p. 59 |
Image and Upper-Class Behavior | p. 60 |
Dealing with Service People | p. 61 |
The Role of the Family | p. 63 |
Family Loyalty and Obligations | p. 63 |
Relations Among Family Members | p. 65 |
Marriage | p. 67 |
Divorce | p. 68 |
Child-Rearing Practices | p. 69 |
Talking About Your Family | p. 70 |
Religion and Society | p. 73 |
Religious Affiliation | p. 73 |
Religious Practices | p. 73 |
The Religion of Islam | p. 75 |
Sunni and Shia | p. 79 |
The Sharia, Islamic Law | p. 79 |
The Qur'an and the Bible | p. 81 |
Passages from the Qur'an | p. 84 |
Communicating with Arabs | p. 87 |
Varieties of Arabic | p. 88 |
The Superiority of Arabic | p. 89 |
The Prestige of Classical Arabic | p. 90 |
Eloquence of Speech | p. 91 |
Speech Mannerisms | p. 93 |
Pleasant and Indirect Responses | p. 94 |
The Power of Words | p. 94 |
Euphemisms | p. 95 |
The Written Word | p. 96 |
Proverbs | p. 97 |
Islamic Fundamentalism (Islamism) | p. 99 |
Definitions and Numbers | p. 99 |
Jihad | p. 104 |
Islamists and Muslim Society | p. 105 |
Mainstream Muslims | p. 108 |
Anti-Americanism | p. 111 |
Reasons for Arab Anger | p. 113 |
Arab/Muslim and Some Western Views | p. 113 |
Some American Views | p. 116 |
They Hate Our Freedom, Values, Way of Life | p. 116 |
They Hate Our Success | p. 117 |
They Don't Know Enough About Us | p. 117 |
Anti-Americanism Is an Excuse | p. 119 |
We Share a Long History of Hatred | p. 119 |
Arab/Muslim Views on American Culture | p. 121 |
Views on Western-Style Democracy | p. 122 |
Islam | p. 124 |
Anti-Islam Comments | p. 124 |
Defense-of-Islam Comments | p. 125 |
Arabs and Muslims in the West | p. 127 |
Arabs in the United States | p. 127 |
Muslims in the United States and Canada | p. 128 |
Muslims in Europe | p. 130 |
The Image of Arabs and Muslims | p. 134 |
In America | p. 134 |
In Europe | p. 138 |
The Future of Islam in the West | p. 142 |
The Arab Countries, Similarities and Differences: The Arab Countries in Africa | p. 145 |
The Maghrib | p. 148 |
Morocco | p. 149 |
Algeria | p. 152 |
Tunisia | p. 154 |
Libya | p. 157 |
The Nile Valley | p. 160 |
Egypt | p. 160 |
Sudan | p. 164 |
The Arab Countries in the Center | p. 169 |
The Levant | p. 169 |
Lebanon | p. 170 |
Syria | p. 173 |
Palestinian Territories | p. 176 |
Jordan | p. 181 |
Iraq | p. 184 |
The Arab Countries in the Arabian Peninsula | p. 189 |
Saudi Arabia | p. 190 |
Yemen | p. 194 |
The Arabian Gulf States (Persian Gulf) | p. 198 |
Kuwait | p. 199 |
Bahrain | p. 201 |
Qatar | p. 203 |
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) | p. 205 |
Oman | p. 207 |
Conclusion | p. 211 |
Appendix: The Arabic Language | p. 213 |
Colloquial Arabic Dialects | p. 213 |
Attitudes Toward Dialects | p. 215 |
The Structure of Arabic | p. 216 |
Transcription | p. 217 |
Arabic Writing | p. 218 |
Calligraphy As an Art Form | p. 220 |
Social Greetings | p. 220 |
Notes | p. 223 |
Bibliography | p. 247 |
Index | p. 265 |
About the Author | p. 277 |
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
What is included with this book?
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.