Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics (Indiana Series in Middle East Studies) [Paperback]

Mark Tessler (Editor), Jodi Nachtwey (Editor), Anne Dressel (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 1999 | Series: Indiana Series in Middle East Studies

"The volume edited by Mark Tessler addresses a set of critical issues confronting all social scientists whose field of inquiry is extra-American.... Tessler and his contributors succeed admirably in their goal." —American Historical Review

How should scholars construct knowledge about politics, economics, and international relations in major world regions? According to the contributors to this lively volume, the conflicting approaches of regional specialists and discipline-oriented social scientists must be combined to provide a firm foundation for studying the contemporary politics of the Middle East. Contributors are Lisa Anderson, Anne Banda, Laurie A. Brand, Laura Zittrain Eisenberg, John P. Entelis, Clement M. Henry, Magda Kandil, Baghat Korany, Jodi Nachtwey, Augustus Richard Norton, and Mark Tessler.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Tessler is Professor of Political Science, Director of the Centerfor Middle Eastern Studies, and Head of the Department of Near EasternStudies. He is author of A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, and co-editor (with David Garnham) of Democracy, War, and Peace in the Middle East.

Jodi Nachtwey is a doctoral student in political science and Research Fellow for the Center of International Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Anne Banda is a doctoral student in urban studies and Assistant Director of the Center for International Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (May 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253212820
• ISBN-13: 978-0253212825
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,236,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for balance between social science and area studies, February 9, 2004

By 

Alessandro Bruno (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Area Studies and Social Science: Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics (Indiana Series in Middle East Studies) (Paperback)

The longstanding debate in the study of Middle East politics Area Studies and Social Science has divided schorlas in two general camps. Thos upporting the political economy approach (and its variations, i.e. State focused studies) such as James Waterbury, Roger Owens or Nazih Ayubi to mention some and those preferring a more cultural approach based on modernization theory typified by Bernard Lewis. This book edited by Mark Tessler aims to draw from the various approaches to establish a balanced view which combines the more scientific 'methods' of describing the Middle East through social science with the historical and local specificity of area studies. Tessler's aim is to sgow that neother approach works well in isolation and that, indeed, a combination of these two provides the most effective framework to the study of the Middle East. The one discipline adding the necessary context to the other's discipline.
The book features a collection of essays by noted scholars such as Lisa Anderson, Clement Henry and August Richard Norton (among others) which are invaluable to the specialist as well as those who have had less exposure to the debate. I especially enjoyed Lisa Anderson's essay in which she acknowledges some of the shortcomings of area studies and the need to combine more social science perspectives in the discipline. Nervetheless, the other essays are just as important and valuable.