The Multiple Identities of the Middle East (Paperback)

by Bernard Lewis (Author) "THE MIDDLE EAST IS A REGION OF OLD AND DEEP-ROOTED identities, which in modern times have undergone crucial changes..." (more)
Key Phrases: Middle East, Ottoman Empire, North Africa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Multiple Identities of the Middle East by Bernard Lewis is a sharp diamond of a book. It cuts to the essence of how identity has traditionally been experienced by people in the Middle East, how Western political concepts have altered Middle-Eastern notions of identity, and how these imported Western ideas have inflamed political conflicts in that region. "The primary identities are those acquired at birth," Lewis writes. The first determiner of identity is blood, the second is place, and the third is religious community, which for many is "the only loyalty that transcends local and immediate bonds." Lewis adds, "The second broad category of identity is that of allegiance to a ruler," and notes that these two categories of identity were the only ones that existed until modern times, when the Middle East came under the influence of Europe. Now, he says, "a new kind [of identity] is evolving" between the two traditional categories that existed before. This is "the freely chosen cohesion and loyalty of voluntary associations, combining to form what is nowadays known as the civil society."

In nine brief chapters describing these various elements of identity, and the pain and empowerment that has come from their revision, Lewis ranges widely over the recent history of inter-Arab and Arab-Israeli conflicts. He solves no problems with this book, but he does clarify them as well as anyone has. The Multiple Identities of the Middle East is the kind of book that can reframe a reader's entire orientation to a subject, infusing one's perspective with empathy beyond anything an outsider to the region could possibly muster on his or her own. --Michael Joseph Gross --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Lewis is a noted expert in Middle Eastern history, religion, and culture who has authored a number of authoritative works, including The Cambridge History of Islam in its several editions. His new work should be required reading for all Westerners who have any serious interest in understanding how the history and religion of this dynamic area have led to very different interpretations of such traditional Western notions as nation, citizenship, and patriotism. Lewis ably communicates the primary importance of Islam in forming the core personal identity for area Muslims. This relatively uniform identity does not mean, however, that Islam has survived without the rise of numerous schisms or competing visions of Islam and its relation to the state. While the influence of Islam remains strong on most Muslims, Lewis maintains that several Muslim states, such as Egypt, have forged more of a nation state-type polity than others. The reader will appreciate even more how the State of Israel fits into this m?lange and why it has been so extremely difficult to build a lasting peace in the Middle East. Strongly recommended for all public and academic libraries.AStephen W. Green, Auraria Lib., Denver
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805211187
• ISBN-13: 978-0805211184
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,726 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Television is insufficient, November 26, 2001

By	Pumpkin King - See all my reviews

The Middle East has been a source of politically interesting news for Americans for a long time, and since September 11, the discussions have become more passionate, and more judgmental. And despite the area's growing influence on our consciousness, our understanding of the peoples there and who they are is one of vague categories.

Bernard Lewis does not offer a history in this short book, but rather a discussion of how people in the Middle East perceive themselves, and how they create and define their identities. We often tend toward the simplified assumption that political boundaries contain single ethnic groups, linguistic groups, religious groups, but as Lewis shows, these groups are overlaid in complex ways.

People who have only a Western perspective of the Middle East, and want to understand the area in a much more complex manner, should find Lewis' book to be a great introduction to the depth of the history and conflicts that exists there.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An academic treatment of "Mideast" culture, November 29, 2000

By	Christopher A. Smith (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Multiple Identities of the Middle East (Hardcover)

Lay readers like myself who are simply looking for a new insight on the cultural roots of the Mideast problem might find Multiple Identities of the Middle East a bit heavy (the chapter on "nation" for example, consists almost entirely of a discussion of the word's origin in the Jewish, Persian, Turkish, and Arabic tradition, tracing the roots back to their linguistic origins.)

But although the book at times delves into a level of detail above and beyond that which will interest the casual reader, it is direct and clearly written, and in its short 160 pages Lewis does provide some valuable insights. Lewis gives us a concise historical overview which highlights the differences and similarities between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, and the varied cultures and societies of the region. And most importantly, he highlights the fact that these different cultures view the world from very different viewpoints. Within the "Middle East" (a term which he uses for the sake of familiarity, then quickly discards as being meaningless) both conflict and cohesion arise from these conflicting viewpoints.

An informative read which taught me many things.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent challenge to Western preconceptions, November 18, 1999

By	James Aitken (Jerusalem) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Multiple Identities of the Middle East (Hardcover)

The purpose of this short, but comprehensive work seems to be as much about challenging Western preconceptions, myths and colonial attitutdes toward the Middle East and Islam as it is about presenting the spectrum of identities that have developed in the region. Lewis does an excellent job in this respect by taking aspects such as religion, language, country, nation, state and others, which help to define a person's identity collectively and individually. He regards each of these aspects individually and together and shows how they are understood in the West and how they have impacted and been understood in the region. In this way he is able to paint a picture of identity and belonging that seems alien to western paradigms. However, for all that Lewis debunks western myths and prejudice, there is a constant suspicion that he nevertheless finds himself still living in that colonial world. The worry is even portrayed in the title of the book, where the term Middle East is used without apology or explanation despite being the first and often attacked misnomer that Lewis claims is used throughtout the West. Because of this Lewis's work, though excellent and highly recommended, falls short of the magnificent studies of The Arabs and The Middle East by Peter Mansfield, who never falls into the trap of portraying himself as an 'Orientalist.'