Contemporary Arab Thought: Studies in Post-1967 Arab Intellectual History

Book Description

'Contemporary Arab Thought' is a complex term, encompassing a constellation of social, political, religious and ideological ideas that have evolved over the past two hundred years - ideas that represent the leading positions of the social classes in modern and contemporary Arab societies.

Distinguished Islamic scholar Ibrahim Abu-Rabi' addresses such questions as the Shari'ah, human rights, civil society, secularism and globalization. This is complimented by a focused discussion on the writings of key Arab thinkers who represent established trends of thought in the Arab world, including Muhammad 'Abid al-Jabiri, Adallah Laroui, Muhammad al-Ghazali, Rashid al-Ghannoushi, Qutatnine Zurayk, Mahdi 'Amil and many others.

Before 1967, some Arab countries launched hopeful programs of modernization. After the 1967 defeat with Israel, many of these hopes were dashed. This book retraces the Arab world's aborted modernity of recent decades. Abu-Rabi' explores the development of contemporary Arab thought against the historical background of the rise of modern Islamism, and the impact of the West on the modern Arab world.

Customer Reviews:

A critical study of the contemporary Arab thoughts.......2005-06-14

According to the author, this book is written as a self-criticism addressed to Arab and Muslim intellectuals, especially those who reside in the West. The Arab intellectuals or Muslims alike, who have received Western education and have decided to live in Western countries in the first half of twentieth century, have actually benefited from their modern secular education. However, the large number of educated Arab people does not always fulfill the promise of transformation of the social conditions of the Arab World. Far from being `organic intellectuals,' most Arab thinkers in the West as well as the elite in the Arab world have been party to Western capitalist interests that aim to control the Arab World. By no means denigrating the works of Isma`il Raji al-Faruqi, Edward Said, Ghada Hashem Talhami, or the feminist Leila Ahmad, to mention some brilliant Arab intellectuals, most Arab thinkers in the West seem to have forgotten the social conditions of the Arab world that have been in acute crisis since the mid nineteenth century or from the time colonialism stepped into the Arab world. Pseudo modernization ―to say that there has never been any modernization as it emerged from the middle class as in Europe, but was initiated mainly by the elites― has kept Arab intellectuals in the West completely in the dark and unable to offer radical solution to the crises of the Arab world.
What are the fruits of `modern' Arab thought since the nineteenth century? It is precisely in answering the question that this book has its significance as self-criticism. After briefly explaining the color of Arab thoughts from the Islamist, the nationalist, the liberalist, and the Marxist as written in the second part of the book, Abu-Rabi`, the professor of Islamic Studies at Hartford Seminary, convincingly argues that Arab intellectuals have not yet found a viable formulation of modernism which is based on the social conditions of the Arabs. The author said in his sarcastic words; "the Arab discussion of modernity is guided more by confusion than by anything else" (197). The author also laments that many Arab and Muslim intellectuals "have taken modernity for granted without delving into its violent and cruel beginning" (197). One of the benefits of colonialism and capitalism in the Arab world is the shaken situation where many Arabs realized that they live in a backward condition and all people seem to agree that this crisis needs to be overcome. However, implementing modernity, which is Eurocentric in nature, without considering the social condition of the Arab societies, is not a good choice. The author suggests, "modernization cannot be effective without a modernist consciousness and modernist values" (151). It is in this point that the Arab's liberal and Marxist movements have failed to implement their ideal goals into the Arab people. While modernism in Europe has been the natural process of the society, modernism in the Arab world is absorbed by the Arab bourgeoisies and the intellectual elite. In relation to secularism, the author refers to the work of Sādiq Jalāl al-`Azm, who argues that secularization in the Arab world has been "slow, informal, pragmatic, and full of half measures" (113). He then adds his own conclusion: "the Arab secularist movement failed to produce hybrid secularism or its own version of independent `Arab secularism'" (95). In addition to the case of Islam, or more specifically, the power elite who use Islam to legitimize themselves, modernism is often misunderstood as a threat to `Islam,' which is nothing but fear of the authority being delegitimized by the masses. All these themes become even more complicated after the Arab defeat and the erosion of Nasserism in 1967 marked by American interests as a new hegemonic power in post-colonial era. The need for oil and its derivatives have polarized the Arab world into a `strange polarization,' as "the old world" and "the new world" (105), "one more or less educated but poor (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon), and the other less educated but richer and more modern" (151).
As one who has great concern for the decline of the Arab world, Abu-Rabi` succeeds in putting himself into the main contemporary discussion of Arab intellectuals about the question of secularism, and politic and economic globalization of the United States in the Arab world. It is important to emphasize here that the works of Antonio Gramsci, to mention one of his mentors in critical theory, have a great influence on the way Abu-Rabi` tackles contemporary issues of the Arab intellectuals. To the best of my understanding reading this book, it seems also clear that Abu-Rabi` admires the works of the liberal nationalist Constantine Zurayk and the Arab Islamist Rāshid al-Ghannūshī, especially on the issue of modernization and the establishment of a democratic system. It is actually hard to find an explicit statement of Abu-Rabi` proving that he admires the works of those thinkers. In this book, Abu-Rabi` elucidates a wide range of Arab intellectuals, not only Constantine Zurayk and Rāshid al-Ghannūshī, but also other Arab thinkers such as Muhammad al-Ghazālī, `Ābid al-Jābīrī, Fu`ād Zakariyya, Mahdī `Āmil and Abdallah Laroui. However, after reading this book carefully, one would agree that both Zurayk and Ghannūshī are well appreciated in this book. I would say that Gramsci plays as important role as a critical mentor, while Zurayk and Ghannūshī play roles as the spiritual and the intellectual mentors of Abu-Rabi`.
This book is necessary not only for Arab or Muslim intellectuals who reside in the West, but is valuable also for students and intellectuals studying in other parts of the Third World: Sub continental or South Asia and Southeast Asia alike. The issues and the critical analysis of the topics in this book may be useful as a grand theory on the study of Islam and the relation between religion and politics in the contemporary era. In my view, students and intellectuals from other the whole Third World have the same problems as the Arabs, especially in the lack of intellectual discourse. Students from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Third World countries who learn from Arab institutions, which supposedly bring a new consciousness upon their completion of study, unfortunately tend to keep the rusty traditions of Arab institutions and its Islamic thought. At the same time, those who learn in Western institutions tend to be trapped in secular theories without any effort to be critical of their academic sources. The ideas of the intellectuals who are described in this book, such as `Ābid al-Jābīrī, Rāshid al-Ghannūshī, and Muhammad al-Ghazālī, can be good examples of how any effort to find a new vision of modern Islam should always include both Western intellectual advances and the past glory of Islamic civilizations. The disheartening fact is that those intellectuals are not well studied even in the Arab world. Students from the Third worlds, sadly enough, are only familiar with French or German philosophers, American anthropologists, and classical ideas of Muslim thinkers, without trying to look to alternative ideas from contemporary Arab or Muslims intellectuals. I myself argue that appreciation of both American and European advances in thought and contemporary Arab thought would create a new arsenal in the study of religion and political science, and the whole Third World's areas of studies.

Book Description

* Shows how coaching can be slotted into mainstream training and change programs

Telling the Truth: The Life and Times of the British Honduran Forestry Unit in Scotland
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Telling the Truth: The Life and Times of the British Honduran Forestry Unit in Scotland
Amos A. Ford
Manufacturer: Karia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0946918015

Book Description

Does biodiversity influence how ecosystems function? Might diversity loss affect the ability of ecosystems to deliver services of benefit to humankind? Ecosystems provide food, fuel, fiber, and drinkable water, regulate local and regional climate, and recycle needed nutrients, among other things. An ecosyste's ability to sustain functioning may depend on the number of species residing in the ecosystem--its biological diversity--but this has been a controversial hypothesis. There are many unanswered questions about how and why changes in biodiversity could alter ecosystem functioning. This volume, written by top researchers, synthesizes empirical studies on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and extends that knowledge using a novel and coordinated set of models and theoretical approaches.

These experimental and theoretical analyses demonstrate that functioning usually increases with biodiversity, but also reveals when and under what circumstances other relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning might occur. It also accounts for apparent changes in diversity-functioning relationships that emerge over time in disturbed ecosystems, thereby addressing a major controversy in the field. The volume concludes with a blueprint for moving beyond small-scale studies to regional ones--a move of enormous significance for policy and conservation but one that will entail tackling some of the most fundamental challenges in ecology.

In addition to the editors, the contributors are Juan Armesto, Claudia Neuhauser, Andy Hector, Clarence Lehman, Peter Kareiva, Sharon Lawler, Peter Chesson, Teri Balser, Mary K. Firestone, Robert Holt, Michel Loreau, Johannes Knops, David Wedin, Peter Reich, Shahid Naeem, Bernhard Schmid, Jasmin Joshi, and Felix Schläpfer.

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The Field Guide to Kruger national Park........2006-08-05

This is an excellent guide to have if ever you wanted to go South Africa for the first time.

Field Guide to the Mammals of the Kruger National Park (Field Guide)

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Field Guide to the Mammals of the Kruger National Park (Field Guide)
Robert T. Teske
Manufacturer: New Holland Publishers, Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1868253864

Field Guide to the Mammals of the Kruger National Park (Field Guide Series)

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Field Guide to the Mammals of the Kruger National Park (Field Guide Series)
Gerrie De Graaf
Manufacturer: Struik Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0869774328

Going Long : The Wild Ten Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League in the Words of Those Who Lived It
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Not a great literary work, but interesting

Going Wild

Wish Book Didn't End

Underrated and outstanding effort about the original AFL, The American Football League and my friend Cookie Gilchrist

Reviewed by Jim Melcher

Going Long : The Wild Ten Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League in the Words of Those Who Lived It
Jeff Miller
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The American Football League: A Year-By-Year History, 1960-1969

The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association

America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation

Pigskin: The Early Years of Pro Football

Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association

ASIN: 0071441549

Book Description

“Outlandish, informative, and above all, funny.”

—Sports Illustrated

Now in paperback, Going Long brings the incredible story of the maverick American Football League to life through the words of the players, coaches, owners, and others who lived it. This story of the AFL is filled with legendary names such as Bob Griese, Joe Namath, Lamar Hunt, Jack Kemp, Len Dawson, and more. From the contentious formation of the league, to paychecks bouncing as often as footballs, to improbable Super Bowl victories, Going Long presents the colorful and sometimes bizarre tale of eight teams and a league that refused to die.

Customer Reviews:

Not a great literary work, but interesting.......2007-10-05

99% of this book is a collection of stories about the AFL by former players, coaches, administrators, owners, and others with some connection to the game. It is interesting, but not a great book. Most interesting is the explanation about how NBC cut off the Heidi game. Typical corporate move from the beginning to the end. Nobody had any objection throughout the week of the proposed cutoff and none of the "suits" could make a decision at crunch time. NBC has never lived the Heidi game down and it will always be remembered in sports broadcasting.

Going Wild.......2007-09-13

This is an insightful, interesting look at the AFL. Great interviews with the actual participants of the events that took place. I would recommend the book to anyone with an interest of this league and how the merger took place with the NFL.

Wish Book Didn't End.......2007-08-31

For some reason, oral biographies of pro sports leagues make great reads when written by the right people. The oral bio of the WHA is fascinating and Terry Pluto's "Loose Balls" of the American Basketball Association is simply one of the great sports books ever.

Going Long is right up there with Loose Balls. It is one of the two definitive books about the American Football League (along with The Other League), a league whose influence in its 10 years is felt every second in the National Football League.

This book is able to tell two separate stories, the business side of how The Foolish Club of original AFL owners were able to survive against the tough and savvy National Football League. Then there is the story about the players and the individual teams. Miller is able to present the business side in an extremely interesting manner, not an easy task.

The book treats Joe Namath with the appropriate perspective, not fawning over his immense off-the-field contributions or overrating his playing ability. It does underrate some of the great AFL teams and units, especially the 1969-1970 Chief linebackers (Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier are in Canton). It also talks little on why Sonny Werblin was forced out from the NY Jets. But these are minor quibbles.

Watch a pro football game. Do you like seeing a player's name on his jersey? That is the AFL. Do you like having the stadium clock (as shown on TV as well) as the official clock? That is the AFL. Do you like the 2-point conversion, that is the AFL. Do you like watching even the longest games to conclusion, that is the AFL (with an assist to Heidi).

Great league and this book does it justice.

Underrated and outstanding effort about the original AFL, The American Football League and my friend Cookie Gilchrist.......2007-06-13

As a Sportswriter sometimes I get to do an interview
I will remember the rest of my life. The Cookie Gil-
christ interview I did for MYKwebTV on the phone with
Chester Carleton Gilchrist I did three years ago was
a highlight. A very private man, I can't beleive with
all he accomplished in 14 years of Pro Football (8 CFL
/ 6 AFL) that he isn't in the CFL or NFL Hall of Fame
(s)! This book deals with the rest of the great play-
ers (and the average, et, al ones) that made up one
of the very best Pro Football League's of alltime.
Pick Up on it! Also look for the VHS 'History of
the AFL', narrated by the late Lindsey Nelson.
Pick Up on 'Em!

Reviewed by Jim Melcher.......2007-05-31

Oral history books about baseball have been a tradition stretching back four decades to the pathbreaking book The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter. In that book, Ritter went back and compiled extensive oral interviews with a large number of aging major league baseball players, largely from before World War II. The book was a sensation, and this format has been followed by many others in baseball, such as Danny Peary's We Played The Game about players from 1947 to 1964.

Such oral histories have not been as common about American football. A terrific recent contribution to this genre, however, is Going Long, by Dallas Morning News sports editor Jeff Miller. Miller has chosen an entertaining topic and has succeeded in bringing in a phenomenal array of those who made the old American Football league so interesting.

Like many start-up sports leagues, the AFL was plagued by financial insecurities and, in many cases, poor facilities in which to play. But Miller does a fine job of bringing in stories about these elements of the AFL and making them seem entertaining and almost charming. Miller worked extraordinarily hard to interview AFL players, owners, writers and others involved in the league and their stories are delightful to read. While some AFL stars are noted for their absence-the tart refusals to be interviewed by George Blanda and others gets some discussion-they are hardly missed with a cast of interview subjects that includes Joe Namath, Lamar Hunt, Len Dawson, Bobby Bell, Ralph Wilson, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Floyd Little, Jim Otto, Ben Davidson, Merle Harmon and Jack Kemp, among literally dozens of others. Miller's interviews even include key National Football League figures the AFL faced in the early Super Bowls, such as Bart Starr and Bubba Smith.

Miller has done a fine job organizing the interview material into thematic chapters that begin with the time before the league even started play to the aftermath of the NFL's merger with the AFL. The AFL was the right sort of league at the right time: it brought pro football to many growing cities left out by the NFL, such as Denver; it offered a high-scoring, flashier, more passing oriented game compared to the NFL or that time, and it came just as televised sports (and in particular televised football) were becoming much more popular. Not all of it was easy: Miller and his interviewees do not gloss over the rickety early stadiums, business problems. or moves to new cities seen in the early days of the AFL. One of the most interesting chapters of the book, "Taken for a Ride", discusses both another such challenging chapter for the AFL and a stirring victory for the civil rights movement: the player boycott of a 1965 All-Star game to be held in New Orleans due to poor treatment of black players such as Ernie Ladd and Houston Antwine there. When white players joined them, the game was moved to Houston instead and went forward, but not before national attention was given to the racist treatment of the black players in Louisiana. The books is not all about serious matters, however, and even readers unfamiliar with the old AFL will get many great stories and laughs from this book.

Some football fans feel the National Football league of today has become a corporate entity where "NFL" stands for "No Fun League". These fans in particular will enjoy this look back at a colorful and fun era of American football history that has been masterfully assembled and described by Jeff Miller in this exceptional book.

Going Long : The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League In the Words of Those Who Lived

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Going Long : The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League In the Words of Those Who Lived
Jeff Miller
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFTHGO

Book Description

[The following excerpt from the Introductiion gives a clear idea of the book's contents.]

Idiomatic expressions give English its color and vitality. They are indispensable to the daily speech of the people and to the language of newspapers and books, television and movies.

Whenever you hear a phrase whose meaning cannot be understood even if you know the definitions of the separate words involved, you have probably encountered an idiom. Mastering idioms requires a great deal of listening, studying, practice, and usage. You cannot ignore this part of the language:
idiomatic expressions and more formal grammar should be given equal time. The lessons in this book are designed to teach you the kind of informal, everyday speech-including many slang words as well as idioms-that is commonly understood by all native Americans, no matter what their level of
education.

There are various levels of idiomatic difficulty, and each group of lessons listed in the Table of Contents begins with the easiest lessons and ends with the more advanced ones. However, you may use them in any order you desire; each lesson is self-contained.

Each lesson begins with a dialogue, since idioms are best learned in meaningful verbal contexts. A vocabulary section then explains the idioms in clear, concise definitions. (Where the notation "neg." appears after an idiom, it means the idiom is generally used in the negative. For example, have the
heart to (neg.) indicates the phrase is normally used in a negative statement such as "I didn't have the heart to tell her." Where alternate words are given in parentheses, either word may be used interchangeably. For example, down the drain (tubes) means you may say "down the drain" or "down the
tubes."

Two sets of exercises are included in each lesson. In the first, you are asked to choose the correct idiom needed to complete a sentence. In the second, you will substitute an idiomatic expression for an italicized phrase or sentence.

Customer Reviews:

Great for adult students of English as a second language.......2007-01-12

I bought this book for a friend from S. Korea who is working to improve her English. The lessons are laid out well and practice exercises reinforce the content. Some of the phrases are a bit outdated, and the sample conversations are sometimes awkward, simply because 10 idioms are squeezed into 4 or 5 lines of dialogue. But it is a comprehensive and understandable collection of those weird phrases, like 'I'm broke', that we use so commonly. Very helpful!

Not for the beginner.......2006-11-10

Great idioms book for the more advanced student.
Definitely not for beginners.

Recommended if you're interested in everyday idioms.......2006-06-10

I'm not a native speaker of English but I took quite a pride in my English speaking ability... until I found this book. I thought I knew lots of colloquial expressions but I was wrong. I found that I knew about 5% of what was introduced in this book...
This book covers what is usually not covered in ordinary English textbooks. Those puzzling expressions you encounter in everyday conversations, you will find them here albeit not exhaustively. It was very helpful to me. And I believe it's going to be to you too. Good luck!

Heart-to-heart: This is amazing even for native English speakers.......2005-09-13

It "dawned on me" not to "bark up the wrong tree" but to get this amazing book that is an education even for (maybe especially for!) native English speakers.

One of the best!.......2000-03-25

It has a lesson per page, which consists of a sample dialogue that encompasses the idioms to be learned in that chapter, which are explained right away. You can use it to learn by yourself or in a classroom. Together with All Clear!, these two can really prepare you for daily English conversations.

The Simple Art of Japanese Calligraphy
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Japanese calligraphy instructional and art book

Excellent blend of oriental contents and western application!

The Simple Art of Japanese Calligraphy
Yoko Takenami , and Kakko Tsuruka
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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An Introduction to Japanese Calligraphy

Learn Japanese Calligraphy Lessons 1 - 6

Brush Writing: Calligraphy Techniques for Beginners

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Sho: Japanese Calligraphy

ASIN: 1402714394

Book Description

Magnificent and plentiful images of finely wrought Japanese calligraphy teach the techniques and spiritual essence that underlie this ancient, elegant art.

In Japan, calligraphy is more than an art: it’s practically a religion, in which every stroke and every character should reflect the writer’s own spirit and personality. This lovely and illuminating introduction presents the wonders of Japanese calligraphy, and shows how to create the 3 basic sets of characters in use today: the Chinese kanji characters, which represent an entire word visually, and the 2 phonetic alphabets, hiagana and kakatana. Practical and detailed exercises demonstrate how to handle the brush; generously sized illustrations capture the characters’ every line and curve; and 15 beautiful paper, ceramic, and fabric projects provide dazzling examples of this uniquely Japanese craft. As your skills develop, decorate an Evening Fan with a short poem, draw a Four Seasons Hanging, make an Eternal Calendar with 12 sacred animals, adorn a lampshade, and many more exceptional items.
A Selection of the One Spirit Book Club.

Customer Reviews:

Japanese calligraphy instructional and art book.......2007-01-12

book is nicely done, an easy read and gives a good view for beginners on the Japanese written language and the arts surrounding it.

Excellent blend of oriental contents and western application!.......2006-01-08

This is an excellent book that brings life oriental cultures to western audiences by introducing not only the aesthetics but also practical applications of calligraphy. The book contains information and spirits that Japanese would want to communicate to the world in a persuasive way. Undoubtedly, there are many aspects of Japanese cultures that are under explained, partly because Japan has been closed to the world for a long time and its culture well preserved from the rest of the world. But this means there are not many Japanese who have enough international skills to fully explain what their culture and tradition are all about. In my opinion, the author has done a fantastic job doing just that explaining Japanese calligraphy together with its historical background as well as rich and deep cultural elements in a plain yet comprehensive language. In addition, it shows various applications for westerners who would want to try calligraphy. The profile of the author indicates she knows the ins and outs of Japanese culture and also well versed in western culture from her international experience which probably contributed to her writing and illustrating of such masterpiece. As a businessperson who sits between both oriental and western world, I can honestly say this book bridges the two worlds with full authenticity. Overall, the book is enlightening, entertaining, and artistic in its own right. The book is also good for value, and is surprising to come with a large sized hard cover full of wonderful pictures and illustrations - it itself can be a good interior to put on the bookshelf, even before mastering the skills and projects in the book!!

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The Simple Art of Japanese Calligraphy
Yoko Takenami
Manufacturer: CICO Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1904991033

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