Arab Society and Culture: An Essential Guide

Arab Society and Culture provides wide-ranging essays and supplementary readings that examine recent social and cultural change in Arab societies.

From investigations of consumerism and Islam on the Internet to changing attitudes toward sex, gender, and homosexuality, this collection challenges stereotypes and assesses the impact of increasingly global and mobile lifestyles on family structure, public space, and private life. Emphasis is placed on how local cultures are adapting to global and postmodern transformations.

Samples are taken from a wide range of writings on the Middle East, including essays by Orhan Pamuk, Bertrand Russell, Edward Said, Amin Maalouf, and Nawal El Saadawi. Many of the contributors have US academic posts and affiliations.

Samir Khalaf is a professor of sociology and director of the Center for Behavioral Research at the American University of Beirut. He has held academic appointments at Princeton, Harvard, MIT, and New York University, and is most recently the co-editor of Sexuality in the Arab World (Saqi Books, 2006).

Roseanne Saad Khalaf is an assistant professor of English and creative writing at the American University of Beirut, and she is the co-editor of Transit Beirut (Saqi Books, 2006).