Occidentalisms in the Arab World: Ideology and Images of the West in the Egyptian Media

While the Western perception of the 'the Orient' has become a well-worn topic in the field of Asian and Middle Eastern studies, the way in which the Arab world has come to perceive the West has been largely neglected. "Occidentalisms in the Arab World" not only presents a comprehensive overview and pointed commentary on recent works in the emerging field of Occidentalist studies, but also provides new insight on the interplay between ideology and image in the formulation of 'the West'. Robbert Woltering provides an in-depth look at the ways in which multiple representations - occidentalisms - of the West have developed in Egypt since the end of the Cold War. Through the rigorous analysis of political speeches, popular literature and recurrent images, Woltering examines the ideological foundations that continue to shape the image of the Occident in the twenty-first century. "Occidentalisms in the Arab World" provides an unparalleled and original commentary in an emerging field at the intersection of Middle East Studies, Political Science, and Media Studies.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. A History of Occidentalism in Egypt 3. Post-Cold War Occidentalism in Egypt 4. Examining Contemporary Egyptian Occidentalisms 5. Conclusions

About the Author :
Robbert Woltering received his PhD at the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World at Leiden University. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Arabic Studies at the University of Amsterdam.

Review :
'Robbert Woltering makes an important contribution to the debate about the image of the West in the Arab World. It reveals in detail how Arab Intellectuals - the main producers of ideas - express more varied, plural and complex images of the West than what the mainstream media and Orientalist literature tend to portray. Occidentalisms in the Arab World is a very convincing study.' - Asef Bayat, Professor of Sociology and Middle East Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 'Robbert Woltering's book explores how Egyptian intellectuals in the second half of the twentieth century, have constructed an image of the 'West'. The work is a valuable contribution to a new body of knowledge revolving around 'Occidentalism'. Woltering shows the complexity and diversity of perceptions of intellectuals of various orientations, such as leftists, nationalists, Islamists and the liberals. He skillfully relates each type of image to the social and political perspective of its proponents, and to the historical context within which they operate. The work draws on original research through a content analysis of a Arabic published sources, such as books and articles in journals and newspapers. Although the study is based on an analysis of a large quantity of Arabic materials, it is presented in such a way as to conceal the enormous effort that was needed to collect, read and process the sources, and is an absolute pleasure to read.' - Ruud Peters, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Amsterdam