Israelism: Arab Scholarship on Israel, a Critical Assessment

About this book

For decades, ideological discourses have dominated the Arab World. Inevitably this has had a profound impact on the mindset of many scholars from the Middle East. In this book, Hassan A. Barari critically assesses the status of Israeli Studies in the Arab World.

Scholars’ incompetence and their lack of significant area studies skills have contributed to the underdevelopment of Israeli Studies in most Arab counties. However, the persistence of the Arab–Israel conflict, the injustice that has befallen the Palestinians and the hegemonic ideological discourses have also greatly informed the epistemology and ontology of Arab scholarship on Israel.

The author argues that with a few rare exceptions, and despite the existence of a multitude of books, articles and studies that have tackled Israel, Israeli Studies in the Arab World remains, by and large, weighed down by one-sided projections, ideological spin, prejudice and a necessity to expose rather than to understand the other.

About the author

Hassan A. Barari is a Professor of Middle Eastern Politics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). He is a former Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) based in Washington, DC. He was also a researcher and lecturer at the University of Jordan.

Reviews

"The subject matter is very clear. The book is intended to anyone with an interest in the Middle East who wants some insight into why the Arab-Israeli conflict has proven so intractable." Namma Ben Ami, Department of Arabic, Bar-Ilan University, Israel, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, Vol. 27, Spring 2010, Number 2

"[Israelism:...] breaks new ground on the status of Israeli Studies among Arab scholars. The author concludes that, with few exceptions, Arab researchers are bogged down by prejudice and ideological baggage. He adds that Israeli's continued occupation of territories exacerbates 'the steriotypical image of Israel.'" Kirshner File, The Canadian Jewish News, July 15, 2010

Details

Format: Hardback

Page extent: c 160pp

Size: 216 x 138mm

Imprint: Ithaca Press

ISBN: 978-0-86372-337-7

Published: June 2009