Midwest Book Review
Understanding Arabs provides an objective examination of Arab values, beliefs, and perceptions and compares and contrasts them with those of Westerners. Margaret Nydell highlights the dynamic patterns of change that have influenced the Arab World in recent times and offers illuminating insights into the minds and hearts of Arabs, while avoiding the political quicksands that lay in the path of Arab-Western relationships. Understanding Arabs constitutes a kind of cross-cultural handbook. Succinct and written in simple, straightforward prose, it sheds light on those aspects of culture and thought which most critically affect cross-cultural interaction and suggest ways Westerners can be more effective in dealing with the Arabs they encounter. Understanding Arabs is=20 a rich resource for those who wish to better comprehend what they read and hear in the media and an invaluable guide for people who interact directly with Arabs and wish to do so with greater skill and understanding. Understanding Arabs is a perfect introduction into contemporary Arab-Western relations for both students of American middle-east policies, and the non- -specialist general reader with an interest in the understanding the background to today's national headlines and issues.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When Understanding Arabs was first published in 1987, Westerners knew very little about the complex world of Arab culture, where everything seems so unpredictable, but where in fact the deep culture remains remarkably constant. In this revised edition, Dr. Nydell has given particular attention to the larger framework of Arab culture and to each of the nineteen Arab countries, carefully updating and annotating trends and events. This includes sixty new citations chronicling the tremendous changes that have taken place in the last decade. Dr. Nydell is particularly attentive to the rising tide of fundamentalism that has swept Muslim countries; she comments on the great impact it has had in the Arab World, from women￯﾿ﾽs dress to education to increased wariness of the West and criticism of Western values and behavior. The author has added an addendum addressing the events of September 11, 2001.

Understanding Arabs provides a cross-cultural guide for foreigners who are living in an Arab country, who encounter Arabs frequently in the Arab World or in the West, or who are interested in Arab culture and sensibilities.

In early chapters Dr. Nydell examines the Arab personality in a cultural context that is comprehensible to foreigners yet not stereotypical. She looks at friendship patterns, attitudes toward strangers, hospitality, differences in ways of thinking, the value placed upon the expression of emotion, and relationships between men and women. Later chapters address broad societal structures including social classes, the family, religion, language and communication.

Margaret K. (Omar) Nydell received her Ph.D. in linguistics and her master￯﾿ﾽs degree in Arabic from Georgetown University. She is an experienced trainer and Arabist who has directed Arabic language training at the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. State Department and the School of Arabic Language and Area Studies in Tunis. Dr. Nydell has also written several books on the Arabic language and lectured extensively on Arab culture.

SYNOPSIS

Arabs, those who come from North African countries, rather than all Muslims, are the subject of this guide. Nydell (Arabic, Georgetown U., Washington DC), who was a trainer with the foreign service institute in Tunisia, provides helpful descriptions of the culture and mores of Arabic people, characterizing their attitudes and means of expression. The book is full of tips and examples of what to expect in social situations. Extensive appendices and bibliography are included, but there is no index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

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