Culture and Conflict in the Middle East

A specialist on nomadic peoples, Salzman (anthropology, McGill U.) describes Arab culture as a brilliant construction of human creativity that responds in a practical manner to many human problems. Like all other cultures, he says, it opens some doors and closes others. He explores its contours and its liberating and restricting consequences as the foundation of both Islam and Middle Eastern life. He characterizes the conflict with Israel as Arab rejectionism, and attributes it to cultural features the benighted Arabs have no control over. Annotation 穢2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)