Auto/Biography and the Construction of Identity and Community in the Middle East FROM THE PUBLISHER
Ranging from the early modern period to the present day, this edited collection uses biography as a window into the history of the Arab-Islamic Middle East. The contributors reinterpret the lives of the famous such as George Antonius and Doria Shafiq and rediscover the lives of individuals previously consigned to the margins of history, including the notorious individuals of 17th-century Syria and the 20th-century Palestinian activist Kulthum Auda. The book also draws on the biographical tradition of Arab historical writing, including biographical dictionaries, for an understanding of the region's social and cultural history. Interdisciplinary in scope and theoretically informed, this volume brings to light individual lives that are essential to an understanding of Middle Eastern history.
Author Biography: Mary Ann Fay is Assistant Professor of History at the American University of Sharjah.
SYNOPSIS
Contains 14 articles written by scholars of anthropology, history, sociology, Egyptology, Middle Eastern studies, contemporary Arab studies, and other fields. The effects of post-structuralist thought on the disciplines of history and anthropology, as well as on biography, is addressed by several of the authors. Contributions include critical studies of biography and autobiography; biographical sketches of four individuals; a series of personal narratives gathered by anthropologists; and reflections on writing biography and autobiography in the Middle East. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
This primer on contemporary Africa by a longtime observer of the continent is more effective for its sociopolitical background to the region's various catastrophes than for its proposed solutions to them. Schwab (Cuba: Confronting the U.S. Embargo), a professor of political science at SUNY-Purchase, comprehensively details the disintegration of the immediate postcolonial euphoria into political chaos, impoverishment and health disasters. Schwab, who first traveled to Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1960s, covers the topic simply and offers brief, invaluable descriptions of several countries' circumstances. The information is no less tragic for its familiarity. The malaria rate in Africa has increased by 60% during the last 30 years, according to the U.N., and in some countries the AIDS rate exceeds 20% among adults. Schwab's observation that, in Burundi, the state "has ceased to exist," applies to various other sub-Saharan countries. Several events in the late 1990s placed the Ivory Coast, for instance, "on the edge of an abyss": a new administration banned northern Muslim Ivorians from running for president; 350,000 Liberian refugees arrived; and a coup installed a military dictatorship. Regarding the future, Schwab treads on shakier ground. He argues cogently that Western policy must focus on Africa's needs, and not solely on Western geopolitical interests. But he fails to offer concrete ideas for implementing such an approach. Some might fault Schwab for simultaneously criticizing Washington for the nature of its interventions and for not intervening enough, but regarding Africa's recent struggles, readers will gain much from this astute analysis. (Oct. 1) Copyright2001 Cahners Business Information.
Home
