Religion, Education and Governance in the Middle East

Sai Felicia Krishna-Hensel, Auburn University at Montgomery, USA.

• Introduction: The Middle East—Modernity, Religion, and Governance, Sai Felicia Krishna-Hensel; Chapter 1 Global Governance, Islamism, and Authority in the Middle East, Alise Coen; Chapter 2 Modernity, Islam, and Religious Activism, Deina Abdelkader; Chapter 3 The Interrelated Dynamics of Culture, Religion, and Nation in the United Arab Emirates, Vânia Carvalho Pinto; Chapter 4 Lebanon’s Quest for Independence: Between Fragmentation, Political Instability, and Foreign Intervention, Benedetta Berti; Chapter 5 Challenging the Hashemites: The Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front in Jordan, Kür?ad Turan; Chapter 6 1An early draft of this paper was presented at the “Moderation and Immoderation of Religious Political Part Ies in Democratic Politics Workshop,” organized by Princeton University in Eichstätt, Germany (June 16–18, 2011)., Sultan Tepe; Chapter 7 The Politics of Religious Education in Turkey, Yusuf Sarfati; Chapter 8 Uncertainty in Governance Processes: The Political Economy of Biosafety Policies in Turkey, Ebru Tekin; epi Epilog;

’This volume provides an excellent theoretical, historical and empirical infrastructure for understanding the contemporary crises and turbulences in the Middle East. It rightly focuses on the key forces behind major developments and events, and the often neglected linkages among them. The volume is a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on the Middle East frequently marred by political and ideological agenda.’ Eytan Gilboa, Bar-Ilan University, Israel ’...a thoughtful, engaging, and analytically rigorous collection of path-breaking studies on a vitally important region of the world. Understanding the political dynamics of this rapidly changing region requires an appreciation of culture and identity, context and nuance. Each of the chapters is carefully conceived, the arguments are clear, the exposition is concise, and the supporting documentation is thorough. Readers with a general interest in the Middle East as well as specialists in the areas of political development and Islamic Studies will benefit from the original and insightful treatment of the interplay between religion and political behavior.’ Gregory A. Raymond, Boise State University, USA ’Today’s Middle East is torn between efforts to maintain traditional cultures, and efforts to modernize. This book provides excellent regional overviews and country case studies of how this tension is playing out. It clearly shows that responsible practitioners, analysts, and students do not have the luxury of asserting that the Middle East can be viewed as a monolithic region.’ Daniel S. Papp, President, Kennesaw State University, USA