Arab Society and Culture: An Essential Reader

Suitable for Middle Eastern Studies students and those interested in Middle Eastern literature and culture. This book provides readings and essays that examine various dimensions of social and cultural change in Arab societies, paying particular attention to how local cultures adapt to global and post-modern transformations.

An essential reference for students and general readers alike, 'Arab Society and Culture' provides wide-ranging essays and supplementary readings that challenge stereotypes and examine recent social and cultural change in Arab societies.

From investigations of consumerism and Islam on the Internet to changing attitudes towards sex, gender and homosexuality, shifting family patterns, religion and rituals, the new Arab media, and transnational Islam, this collection assesses the impact of increasingly global and mobile lifestyles on family structure, public space and private life.

The texts brilliantly bring together empirical explorations of the social sciences and intuitive sensibilities of the literary imaginations.

Authors included are Nawal El Saadawi, Suad Joseph, Amin Maalouf, Orhan Pamuk, Tariq Ramadan and Edward Said, among others.