Infidels by Andrew Wheatcroft
In many ways the two societies react to each
other in the same ways .
¨ ¨
I picked this book up in Greensboro, North Carolina at a conference and was immediately captivated. It is a history of the conflict between the Christian west and the Islamic middle east. One of his major points is that both societies have similar attitudes to each other, almost like a mirror reflection. The same stereotypes held by the west about the east are also held by the east against the west. When a city is "lost" to the other side, it provokes a desire to regain it, prompting a desire to retake it.
He follows the history from the crusades to the arab conquest of Spain and the subsequent re-conquest by the Spanish to the imperialism of the 18th and 19th centuries. It appears to be a good, evenhanded history and is a terrific read.
I picked this book up in Greensboro, North Carolina at a conference and was immediately captivated. It is a history of the conflict between the Christian west and the Islamic middle east. One of his major points is that both societies have similar attitudes to each other, almost like a mirror reflection. The same stereotypes held by the west about the east are also held by the east against the west. When a city is "lost" to the other side, it provokes a desire to regain it, prompting a desire to retake it.
He follows the history from the crusades to the arab conquest of Spain and the subsequent re-conquest by the Spanish to the imperialism of the 18th and 19th centuries. It appears to be a good, evenhanded history and is a terrific read.
Posted: Mon - March 14, 2005 at 07:57 PM
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Published On: Mar 15, 2005 08:18 PM
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Published On: Mar 15, 2005 08:18 PM