The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf (Cambridge Middle East Studies) [Hardcover]

Nathan J. Brown (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521590264 | ISBN-13: 978-0521590266 | Publication Date: August 13, 1997

Nathan Brown's penetrating account of the development and operation of the courts in the Arab world is based on fieldwork in Egypt and the Gulf. The book addresses important questions about the nature of Egypt's judicial system and the reasons why such a system appeals to Arab rulers outside Egypt. From the theoretical perspective, it also contributes to the debates about liberal legality, political change and the relationship between law and society in the developing world. It will be widely read by scholars of the Middle East, students of law and colonial historians.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...this is an interesting and refreshing contribution to our understanding of postcolonial regimes, of value particularly to political scientists and historians,..." Elizabeth Thompson, Political Science Quarterly

"Brown provides one of the few careful analyses of how these important judicial institutions emerge in the Arab world and he breaks new ground by exploring how they actually affect the lives of ordinary citizens." Bruce Rutherford, MESA Bulletin

"...the book is an impressive work in compiling archival resources to study the development of the Egyptian judiciary over time from a wide variety of sources including newspapers and journals, as well as foreign ministry correspondence from the U.S., France, and Great Britain. His analysis of change in the role of the judiciary over time represents a significant contribution to the role of judicial systems in political and economic development. Thus, the work is of interest to a broad variety of scholars interested in politics and law, Middle Eastern politics, and factors influencing modernization, more generally." Robert W. Walker, The Law and Politics Book Review

"This is a valuable scholarly examination of the development of modern courts in Egypt from 1876 onward... This book is both timely and well-executed. It is a solid study that one can recommend readily to other scholars and to students of legal history." Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Middle East Journal

"Brown offers a clear and insightful account of the various pathways followed by Middle Eastern states toward hierarchical, centralized, and Western-looking legal systems...Admirably combining political analysis and knowledge of Islamic legal issues..." John R. Bowen, American Anthropologist

"Brown's work is an important contribution to the study of law and court systems in the Middle East." Nathan J. Brown, Digest of Middle East Studies

"There is no doubt...that new ground has been broken here that will challenge the current generation of researchers, particularly in attempting to analyze the potential foundations for a liberal order in historically quite different Middle Eastern societies." Byron Cannon, Journal of the American Oriental Society

Book Description

This penetrating account of the development and operation of the courts in the Arab world in based on fieldwork in Egypt and the Gulf. The book addresses important questions about the nature of Egypt's judicial system and the reasons why such a system appeals to Arab rulers outside Egypt.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521590264
• ISBN-13: 978-0521590266
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,490,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars accessible, thorough, well-argued and well-sourced, March 18, 2004

By 

Donovan G. Rinker "donoglen" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rule of Law in the Arab World: Courts in Egypt and the Gulf (Cambridge Middle East Studies) (Hardcover)

Nathan Brown's book is among the best legal writing about law in the Arab world available. Neither to general to describe reality meaningfully nor too elaborate to be accessible, Brown avoids the obsessive fixation upon Islam and gender that dominates most legal discourse about the region (usually motivated by grants which are in turn politically driven), Brown presents a very clear set of questions: does 'rule of law' in the Arab world primarily arise from colonial impositions from foreign powers, liberal legality (the pursuit of law as a means to restrain power), or from an effort to extend and consolidate power? Brown argues that the latter is the best account of the 'rule of law,' but also that this particular process of consolidating power is itself constraining, as a government that seeks to rule through laws has to occasionally grant tactical advantages to those it governs. The writing is clear, the sources extensive, and the author places real Arab sources at the center of his analysis, rather than citing the Western scholars who "know" the region better than its occupants. Still, as I see it, the primary contribution of the book is in disturbing basic conventions about the 'rule of law' itself.