Religion and Politics in the Middle East: Identity, Ideology, Institutions, and Attitudes / Edition 2

by Robert D. Lee

Overview

This innovative book analyzes the relationship between religion and politics in the Middle East through a comparative study of five countries: Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Robert D. Lee examines each country in terms of four domains in which state and religion necessarily interact: national identity, ideology, institutions, and political culture. In each domain he considers contradictory hypotheses, some of them asserting that religion is a positive force for political development and others identifying it as an obstacle. Among the questions the book confronts: Is secularization a necessary prerequisite for democratic development? How is it and why is it that religion and politics are so deeply entangled in these five countries? And, why is it that all five countries differ so markedly in the way they identify themselves and use religion for political purposes? The book argues that the nature of religious organization and practice in the Middle East must be understood in the context of individual nation states. The second edition is updated throughout and includes an entirely new chapter discussing the political and religious climate in Saudi Arabia. Earlier introductory analysis has been condensed to make room for new material, and chronologies at the end of each chapter have been added to help students understand the broader context. The second edition of Religion and Politics in the Middle East is a robust addition to courses on the Middle East.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813348735
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	378
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Robert D. Lee is professor of political science at Colorado College. He is the author of Overcoming Tradition and Modernity: The Search for Islamic Authority as well as the translator and editor of Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon Answers by Mohammed Arkoun.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Transliteration 1. The Political Determinants of Religion Historic Moments Nationalism in the Middle East Modernization Theory Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Religion as a Dependent Variable Conclusion 2. The Taming of Islam in Egypt Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Conclusion Chronology 3. The Transformation of Judaism in Israel Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Conclusion Chronology 4. The Politics of Religion in "Secularist" Turkey Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Outcomes Conclusion Chronology 5. State Shiism in Iran Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Conclusion Chronology 6. State Sunnism in Saudi Arabia Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Conclusion Chronology 7. Reconciling Religion and Politics Balance Identity Ideology Institutions Political Culture Conclusion Notes Glossary Bibliography Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Lee skillfully balances a broad conceptual framework and careful analysis of particular Middle Eastern political systems. As a result, this book provides significant insights into the relationships between religion and politics in the region. In many ways, Lee moves the study of comparative politics to a new level in this synthesis of theory and descriptive specifics.”
—John O. Voll, Georgetown University

“Stimulating, jargon-free theorizing about the tensions and balances between political and religious authority across time and space, putting into fresh comparative perspective the doctrines and ideologies of secularism, Islamism, and Zionism in the Middle East. … Rich reading for students and scholars alike.”
—Clement Moore Henry, University of Texas at Austin

“The relationship between religion and politics is one of the most analyzed in the study of the Middle East. Few such studies are as clearly written and compelling as Robert Lee’s Religion and Politics in the Middle East. Especially impressive is the author’s comparative focus that brings together nation-states that rarely share the same analytic stage, namely Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and Iran. By offering a well developed set of 25 hypotheses that systematically assess the relationship between religion and politics, the author offers the reader both an empirically rich and conceptually sophisticated analysis. Religion and Politics in the Middle East not only provides an excellent introductory text for undergraduate and graduate students, but one from which specialists in the field of Middle Eastern studies will find new perspectives and empirical data drawn from a cross-national context.”
—Eric Davis, Rutgers University, author of Memories of State: Politics, History and Collective Identity in Modern Iraq

"Lee brings a breadth of knowledge from studies of religion and politics and a depth of insight from many years of studying Middle Eastern politics. . . . The case studies are dense and richly developed and reveal deep insights from a long career of exposure to Middle Eastern politics. Highly recommended." —Choice

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the First Edition:

"Lee skillfully balances a broad conceptual framework and careful analysis of particular Middle Eastern political systems. As a result, this book provides significant insights into the relationships between religion and politics in the region. In many ways, Lee moves the study of comparative politics to a new level in this synthesis of theory and descriptive specifics."
—John O. Voll, Georgetown University

"Stimulating, jargon-free theorizing about the tensions and balances between political and religious authority across time and space, putting into fresh comparative perspective the doctrines and ideologies of secularism, Islamism, and Zionism in the Middle East. …Rich reading for students and scholars alike."
—Clement Moore Henry, University of Texas at Austin

From the Publisher