The Arab Mind

The Arab Mind

Cover of The Arab Mind

One of the great classics of cultural studies, The Arab Mind is a journey of observation through the society of a complex and volatile region. The political and cultural entanglements of the Middle East affect the entire world every day. Although Arab culture often seems incomprehensible to the Western world, Raphael Patai's sensitive study unlocks the mysteries of Arab society to help us understand an ancient people.

Drawing on a lifetime of expertise and personal experience, Patai explores the upbringing of Arab children, the intense concern with honor and courage, the treatment of women in Muslim nations, and the Arabs' tendency toward extremes of behavior. Separate chapters are devoted to religion, sex, Arab nationalism, the psychology of Westernization, the Arabic language, and the relation between Arab art and the rest of Arab culture.

First published in 1973 and revised in 1983, The Arab Mind has been recognized as a seminal work in the field of Middle Eastern studies. It provides penetrating insight into the psychology of the Arab world as it faces the turmoil of inter-Arab conflict, the strife created by Islamic fundamentalists, and increasingly precarious relations with the international community.

Table of Contents

Foreword Preface to the 1983 Edition Preface to the 1976 edition Preface: On a Personal Note A Note on Transliteration		x xix xxii p. 1 p. 8
I	The Arabs and the World	p. 9
1. 2.	Islam, Middle East, Arabs Who Is an Arab?	p. 9 p. 12
II	The Group Aspects of the Mind	p. 16
III	Arab Child-Rearing Practices	p. 26
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.	The Issue of Severity Differential Evaluation of Boys and Girls Lactation Early Roots of the Male-Female Relationship The Boy Enters the Men's World The Girl Remains in the Women's World Childhood Rewards and Adult Achievements	p. 26 p. 28 p. 31 p. 34 p. 35 p. 37 p. 38
IV	Under the Spell of Language	p. 43
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.	Arab and Arabic The Lure of Arabic Rhetoricism Exaggeration, Overassertion, Repetition Words for Action Time Sense and Verb Tense	p. 43 p. 46 p. 50 p. 52 p. 63 p. 69
V	The Bedouin Substratum of the Arab Personality	p. 78
1. 2.	The Bedouin Ideal Group Cohesion	p. 78 p. 83
VI	Bedouin Values	p. 89
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Hospitality Generosity Courage Honor Self-Respect	p. 89 p. 92 p. 94 p. 95 p. 100
VII	The Bedouin Ethos and Modern Arab Society	p. 103
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Koranic and Folk Ethics Wajh or “Face” Shame The Fahlawi Personality Aversion to Physical Labor	p. 103 p. 108 p. 113 p. 113 p. 120
VIII	The Realm of Sex	p. 126
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Sexual Honor Sexual Repression Sexual Freedom and Sexual Hospitality Varieties of Sexual Outlet Ambivalence and Change	p. 127 p. 136 p. 140 p. 143 p. 147
IX	The Islamic Component of the Arab Personality	p. 152
1. 2. 3.	Religion East and West Predestination and Personality Improvidence	p. 152 p. 156 p. 160
X	Extremes and Emotions, Fantasy and Reality	p. 165
1. 2. 3. 4.	Polarization Control and Temper Hostility Three Functional Planes: Thoughts, Words, Actions	p. 165 p. 169 p. 171 p. 172
XI	Art, Music, and Literature	p. 177
1. 2. 3. 4.	Decorative Arts Music Literature Toward Western Forms	p. 177 p. 180 p. 185 p. 187
XII	Bilingualism, Marginality, and Ambivalence	p. 190
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Bilingualism and Personality Marginality Cultural Dichotomy: Elites and Masses Ambivalence Izdiwãj - Split Personality	p. 190 p. 199 p. 204 p. 209 p. 212
XIII	Unity and Conflict	p. 216
1. 2. 3. 4.	The Idea of Arab unity Fighting: Swords and Words Dual Division Conflict Proneness	p. 216 p. 221 p. 228 p. 232
XIV	Conflict Resolution and “Conferentiasis”	p. 241
1. 2.	Conflict Resolution “Conferentiasis”	p. 241 p. 252
XV	The Question of Arab Stagnation	p. 261
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.	The Message of History Critical Views Where Do We Go from Here? Stagnation and Nationalism Five Stages The Enemy as Exemplar	p. 261 p. 263 p. 266 p. 269 p. 271 p. 273
XVI	The Psychology of Westernization	p. 284
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.	The Jinni of the West Egypt - A case History The Issue of Technological Domination Focus, Values, and Change Five Dominant Concerns Western Standards and Mass Benefits The Sinister West The Hatred of the West Arabs and Turks Facing the Future	p. 284 p. 286 p. 291 p. 295 p. 299 p. 305 p. 308 p. 314 p. 319 p. 322
Conclusion		p. 326
Postscript: The Last Ten Years		p. 333
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.	The Reaction to the October War Oil, Labor, and Planning Advances in Education The Women's Position New Conflicts The Quest for Unity The Federation of Arab Republics: A Case History Conclusion	p. 333 p. 340 p. 345 p. 347 p. 356 p. 359 p. 365 p. 373
Tables
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.	The Arab World: Area and Mid-Year Population Estimates Gross School Enrollment Ratios in Arab Countries for the First and Second Levels of Education Higher Education in Arab Countries (Third Level) Population of Arab Countries by Sex Birth Rates in Arab Coun tries Per cent of Illiterate and Unschooled Population in Arab Countries Female School Enrollment in Arab COuntries Physical Quality of Life index	p. 379 p. 380 p. 381 p. 382 p. 383 p. 384 p. 385 p. 386
Appendix I The Judgment of Historians: Spengler and Toynbee		p. 387
Appendix II The Arab World and Spanish America: A Comparison		p. 398
Notes Index		p. 403 p. 447

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