Understanding Arabs, 6th Edition: A Contemporary Guide to Arab Society

by Margaret K. Nydell

Overview

The definitive guide to understanding Arab culture for three decades.

For nearly three decades, diplomats, students, business people and governments have relied on Dr. Margaret Nydell's seminal work as the essential guide to comprehending an immensely varied culture. Covering all aspects of Arab life, from religion and society to social norms and communication styles, this all-encompassing guide reveals what the often misunderstood Arab culture is really like.

Each chapter, including the examples, all statistics and charts, and each country overview has been extensively updated to reflect current events. This candid and readable guide for non-specialists promotes understanding between modern-day Arabs and Westerners without pushing a political agenda. It beautifully captures the contrasts and characteristics of a great, largely misunderstood civilization and brings them vividly to life.

This highly anticipated sixth edition features completely new material in the following sections:

• Introduction: "Patterns of Change,"
• Chapter 5, "Men and Women" - changes in women's rights
• Chapter 11, "Islamic Fundamentalism," and the inclusion of ISIS
• Chapter 12, "Anti-Americanism," including implications for Europe
• Chapter 13, "Arabs and Muslims in the West"
• Chapters 14, 15, and 16, "Arab Countries"
  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473690899
Publisher:	Quercus
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dr. Margaret Nydell is a widely respected scholar and professor of Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic dialectology, and many Arabic regional dialects. She was an Arabic linguist for the Foreign Service Institute and the U.S. Department of State, and has directed the latter s School of Advanced Arabic Training in Tunisia. The author of ten books, she currently lectures on Arab cultural orientation for numerous government and private organizations. Dr. Nydell holds a master s degree in Arabic and a PhD in applied linguistics, both from Georgetown University. She has lived and worked in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Cairo.

Table of Contents

Map of the Arab World viii

Preface ix

The Arab Spring xii

Terrorism xiv

Filling a Gap xxi

Looking to the Future xxv

Introduction: Patterns of Change xxvii

Modernization xxvii

The Arab Human Development Reports xxxi

The Effects of Change xxxii

The Muslim View xxxiii

Islamic Education xxxv

Facing the Future xxxvi

Chapter 1 Beliefs and Values 1

Basic Arab Values 3

Basic Arab Religious Attitudes 3

Basic Arab Self-Perceptions 4

Chapter 2 Friends and Strangers 5

The Concept of Friendship 5

Reciprocal Favors 5

Introductions 7

Visiting Patterns 8

Business Friendships 10

Office Relations 11

Criticism 12

Intermediaries 13

Private and Public Manners 14

Chapter 3 Emotion and Logic 17

Objectivity and Subjectivity 17

Fatalism 18

What is Reality? 18

The Human Dimension 20

Persuasion 21

Chapter 4 Getting Personal 23

Personal Questions 23

Sensitive Subjects 24

Social Distance 25

Gestures 27

Names 28

Chapter 5 Men and Women 33

Social Interaction 33

Displaying Intimacy 35

The Status of Women 35

Women's Right to Vote 38

Women in Government Positions 39

Women's Power in the Family 40

The Headscarf and the Veil 40

Polygamy 43

Traditional Gender Roles 44

Western Women 45

Chapter 6 Social Formalities and Etiquette 47

Hospitality 47

Time and Appointments 49

Discussing Business 50

Sharing Meals 51

Smoking 54

Rules of Etiquette 55

Chapter 7 The Social Structure 59

Social Classes 59

Image and Upper-Class Behavior 60

Dealing with Service People 61

Chapter 8 The Role of the Family 63

Family Loyalty and Obligations 63

Relations among Family Members 64

Marriage 66

Divorce 67

Child-Rearing Practices 68

Talking about Your Family 70

Chapter 9 Religion and Society 71

Religious Affiliation 71

Religious Practices 71

The Religion of Islam 73

Sunni and Shia 77

The Sharia, Islamic Law 77

The Qur'an and the Bible 78

Passages from the Qur'an 81

Chapter 10 Communicating with Arabs 83

Varieties of Arabic 84

The Superiority of Arabic 85

The Prestige of Classical Arabic 86

Eloquence of Speech 87

Speech Mannerisms 89

Pleasant and Indirect Responses 90

The Power of Words 91

Euphemisms 91

The Written Word 92

Proverbs 93

Chapter 11 Islamic Fundamentalism (Islamism) 95

Definitions and Numbers 95

Jihad 100

Islamists and Muslim Society 101

Mainstream Muslims 104

Chapter 12 Anti-Americanism 107

Reasons For Arab Anger 110

Arab/Muslim and Some Western Views 110

The Greater Middle East Proposal 112

The Arab Media 113

Some American Views 114

Arab/Muslim Views On American Culture 118

Views On Western-Style Democracy 119

Islam 121

Anti-Islam Comments 121

Defense-of-Islam Comments 122

Conclusion 123

Chapter 13 Arabs and Muslims in the West 125

Arabs in the United States 125

Muslims in the United States and Canada 126

Refugees 128

Muslims in Europe 129

The Image of Arabs and Muslims 134

Image in America 134

Image in Europe 138

The Future of Islam in the West 142

Chapter 14 The Arab Countries: Similarities and Differences 145

The Arab States in Africa 148

The Maghrib 148

Morocco 149

Algeria 152

Tunisia 155

Libya 158

The Nile Valley 163

Egypt 163

Sudan 168

The Arab States in Asia 172

The Levant 172

Lebanon 173

Syria 177

Palestine 182

Jordan 187

Iraq 191

The Arabian Peninsula 197

Saudi Arabia 197

Yemen 204

The Arabian Gulf States 210

Kuwait 211

Bahrain 213

Qatar 216

United Arab Emirates (UAE) 219

Oman 222

Conclusion 227

Appendix: The Arabic Language 229

Colloquial Arabic Dialects 229

Attitudes toward Dialects 231

The Structure of Arabic 232

Transcription 233

Arabic Writing 234

Calligraphy as an Art Form 236

Social Greetings 236

Notes 239

Bibliography 271

Index 297

About the Author 311

Editorial Reviews

For fifteen years, Margaret Nydell's Understanding Arabs has been used by countless Americans preparing to work or live in the Arab world. It is a unique source; there is nothing like it. Written with wit as well as seriousness, it provides a sound cultural appreciation and basic data on the region... Her personal message of the tragic events of September 11 should be required reading by all who make decisions or write commentary on the Arab world.—Max L. Gross, Joint Military Intelligence College

For her understanding of the Arab mind, her expertise in teaching, and her skill in crafting this book, Dr. Nydell is truly a national treasure. Understanding Arabs should be required reading for any professional or policy maker who is involved in any way with working with Arabs or on matters impacting the Middle East.—F.L. Rusty Capps, former FBI Supervisory Special Agent, and President of Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence Training Partners, LLC.

Margaret Nydell blends her informed understanding of Arab history and contemporary politics with deep and thoughtful insight into Arab culture and psychology. Many authors know much about the former, and a few know much about the latter, but only Understanding Arabs conveys a deep understanding of the synergies of both. This is essential reading for those working in - or with - Arab countries, or seeking to understand Arab society.—Lawrence R. Velte Associate Professor of Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, and Associate, Washington Center for Protocol, Inc.

This latest edition of Understanding Arabs is a great introduction to the Arab world for both the general public and college students who wish to expand their knowledge of the region. Nydell's book is of tremendous use in the classroom, as it engages the cultural, linguistic, religious and political diversity of the Arab people and the Arab lands.—Douja Mariem Mamelouk, Assistant Professor, French and Arabic Literatures, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Still the only volume of its kind. This timely and needed volume supports serious-minded efforts to learn, understand, and communicate with Arabs and Muslims. Nydell combines her many years of experience living in the region with her special linguistic expertise to offer today's students insights they are obliged to critically consider before study or research abroad. The accessible presentation succeeds in humanizing as it reveals both the difficult issues and the abiding values that govern people's experiences. Nydell reminds us that in the Middle East and North Africa there will be much more to grasp as continued rapid change alters those lives daily.—Terrence M. Potter, Visiting Associate Professor, Georgetown University

This book is a must-read for anyone wanting to comprehend the Middle East. The writing is fluid, full of examples, and updated to include the Arab Spring. Dr. Nydell, a world renowned linguist with decades of practical experience in the field, is an authoritative voice. She provides profound insights into Arabs' perceptions underlying political events, and our interactions with each other.—Elizabeth McKune, Executive Director, Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, and Former US Ambassador to the State of Qatar

This is an important and fascinating book, especially for Americans in the crucial time in U.S.-Arab relations. Dr. Nydell presents a timely, lucid, and engaging guide to the values and cultures of the Arab world, based on her many years of working and living there, and on her training as a professional linguist. This candid and wonderfully readable book captures the contrasts and the characteristics of this great civilization and brings them vividly to life for a Western audience.—Karin Ryding, PhD, Sultan Qaboos bin Said Professor of Arabic, and Chair of the Department of Arabic Language, Georgetown University

Middle East specialists have long relied on their worn copies of Understanding Arabs for insights about Arab social behaviour.. A whole generation of U.S. diplomats were introduced to the subject by Dr. Nydell in the 1970s and 1980s. In this concise and practical guide, she shares her wealth of scholarly and real-world experience, and she does so without the psycho-babble that too often dominates the other surveys of the subject.—Ambassador David L. Mack, Vice President, Middle East Institute

From the Publisher