The Arab Mind By Raphael Patai Long Island City, (New York: Hatherleigh Press, 2002. rev. ed. 466 pages.)

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 ...