The Great Confrontation: Europe and Islam through the Centuries [Hardcover]

Ilya V. Gaiduk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2003

At first glance the history of relations between Europe and Islam seems to be filled only with armed conflict, victories, and defeats—a record that would confirm the idea of an implacable hostility between two civilizations that has endured for centuries and today manifests itself in the terrorist acts of radical Muslims and their organizations. But an attentive and objective study of this history reveals numerous features of peaceful coexistence, mutual influence, and cooperation. The "fault lines" between the two cultures have been not only battlefields but also marketplaces and other meeting points that have fostered an exchange of goods, cultural values, and ideas. Ilya Gaiduk's The Great Confrontation offers a comparative approach to the long and complex history of relations between Europe and Islam, from the early seventh century to the present day. The book differs from other works in its greater emphasis on Russia as part of European civilization and on Russian relations with Islam. Mr. Gaiduk argues that twentieth-century developments have made "the great confrontation" a phenomenon of the past, that in today's interrelated and interdependent world, lines of division run not between different civilizations but between civilization and the ills that threaten it—poverty, environmental pollution, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism. The success of the West in combating these ills depends upon the cooperation of different societies and cultures, not their antagonism. Illustrated with engravings and maps.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Many Americans, including George W. Bush, may trace Islamic jihad against the West only as far back as the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. Moscow-based historian and scholar Gaiduk knows better. He's written a summary of 14 centuries of relations between Europe (representing a Christian-dominated civilization with a much longer history than the U.S.) and Islam (more a unifying force culturally than geographically). As Gaiduk makes abundantly clear, both Europe and the Islamic world have justified "holy wars" many times in a seesaw battle for moral superiority that both believed was theirs. As a backdrop to this epic struggle, Gaiduk traces a less well-known history of mutually beneficial trade and cultural exchanges that have punctuated long stretches of this 1,400-year history. It is in these latter examples that Gaiduk sees a model for future relations between Islam and the West, rejecting the more commonly held belief that a "clash of civilizations" is chillingly inevitable. His book-ending prescription of "tolerance and partnership," crossing all man-made boundaries to defeat poverty, terrorism, and pollution, is both sensible and depressingly difficult to imagine. --Keith Moerer

From Booklist

Taking issue with the "clash of civilizations" model born sometime in the medieval past and recently articulated by modern orientalists Samuel P. Huntington and Bernard Lewis, this selection reminds us that relations between Islam and the West haven't only occurred on the battlefield. In fact, both cultures have profited tremendously from a shared history of coexistence, cooperation, and mutual influence, defined more by economic self-interest than religious difference. Islam may indeed have had "bloody borders," Gaiduk concedes to Huntington, but persisting in our wrongheaded Moors-and-Crusaders model will cause us to misread current events and will lead us away from peace. Caveat: as suggested in the subtitle, the West here means Europe, which has a much longer history of relations with Islam than America; dogged clash-mongers and American exceptionalists will likely take exception with Gaiduk's thesis. Leaving America out, however, leaves plenty of room for Russia, Gaiduk's area of expertise and the source of many of his excellent examples of West-East coexistence. Brendan Driscoll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566635357
• ISBN-13: 978-1566635356
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,231,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Worthy telling of West-Islamic relations history, January 16, 2005

By 

L. F Sherman "dikw" (Wiscasset, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Confrontation: Europe and Islam through the Centuries (Hardcover)

Fair minded account of relations between Europe and Islam through history. Somewhat more coverage of Russia and Central Asia than typically found. Puts 'religious' factor in perspective when describing social, economic, political, and diplomatic inter relationships. There is little coverage of important 'colonial era' relations; cultural misunderstandings; economic globalization; Western interference against Democratic efforts in the Middle East. Most of all the author continues unfortunate habit of describing 'Islam' while ignoring that most Muslims live in Asia (like Lewis, Huntington, and the rest almost to a man). Still,this is much better than many books attempting to cover the story.