The Arab Mind

Abstract

It is Raphael Patai’s ambition to chart the fundamental components of the Arab worldview that most compels the reader to leaf through the 400 pages of The Arab Mind. In one text, in less than 20 brief chapters, he seeks to provide the elements that define the culture and mindset of the entire halfbillion- strong Arab world. For many readers, this enormous goal provokes enough skepticism to prevent any hope for objectivity before reading a single word. In this new printing, however, Norvell B. DeAtkine (director of Middle East Studies, JFK Special Warfare Center, Fort Bragg, NC) provides a foreword that offers the highest praise for Patai’s work. For instance, he acknowledges that this book provides the foundation for his own instruction and coursework. Hatherleigh Press, the publisher of this revised edition, is known for its Body Sculpting Bible series, its Living With line of health books, and its Flex series of athletic books. A more unlikely pairing reveals itself when we discover that the original edition of The Arab Mind appeared in 1973, the same year as Clifford Geertz’s groundbreaking The Interpretation of Cultures. Though Patai republished this book a decade later, and this new, current edition appears less than a decade after his death, it is clear that despite his familiarity with Geertz’s writings, he chose not to embrace Geertz’s methods. Though none can deny the width and depth of Patai’s insights, his own methods provide more problems than solutions ...