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Can you recommend any good resources for an honest and unbiased approach to learning about Arabic culture/history? I can't go back to college or move to the Mi

by phaus 11y ago

Can you recommend any good resources for an honest and unbiased approach to learning about Arabic culture/history? I can't go back to college or move to the Middle East, but I've been wanting to study the culture pretty deeply, but now I am kind of worried it might be difficult to find resources that are fair and accurate.

dforrestwilson1 11y ago
This book was pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Middle-East-Brief-History-Years/dp/0684832801/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459629575&sr=1-3&keywords=History+of+the+Middle+East http://www.amazon.com/Middle-East-Brief-History-Years/dp/068...
616c 11y ago
dforrestwilson1 has a good rec. But then again, I never enjoyed the history books. I mean, I should be less of a nut, but I do not appreciate the academic works. I say the same thing every time, and professors I know get pissed: start with Adul Rahman Munif's novels. He is a very, very interesting guy. His stuff in English is scattered and week. His Cities of Salt magnum opum will help you see the petro-insanity from the Gulf side, in a pretty scathing critique, from a Saudi who got his citizenship stripped for what he said. Did I mention he was a hardcore Baathist in Iraq who became an author when he got too jaded and abandoned the political platform altogether? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_Munif https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_Munif You can read sources like Mid East History, but I say start finding novelist, poets, and journalists in translation. There are many in translation, both current and recent, going back at least 50-60 years of the Arab political transformations of that period. http://arablit.wordpress.com/ http://arablit.wordpress.com/ The farther back you get, the more scant the first-person art and criticism you get. If you like it, start reading Arabic. I stuck around Arabic for the literature, and believe me those in my ilk know we are weirdos. EDIT: Removed stupidly posted second link to the same Wikipedia article.
- phaus 11y ago
  I've been meaning to get back to learning Arabic after one failed attempt. I'm into calligraphy and Arabic calligraphy is some of the most beautiful writing in the world.

by phaus 11y ago

dforrestwilson1 11y ago

This book was pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Middle-East-Brief-History-Years/dp/0684832801/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459629575&sr=1-3&keywords=History+of+the+Middle+East http://www.amazon.com/Middle-East-Brief-History-Years/dp/068...

616c 11y ago

dforrestwilson1 has a good rec. But then again, I never enjoyed the history books. I mean, I should be less of a nut, but I do not appreciate the academic works. I say the same thing every time, and professors I know get pissed: start with Adul Rahman Munif's novels. He is a very, very interesting guy. His stuff in English is scattered and week. His Cities of Salt magnum opum will help you see the petro-insanity from the Gulf side, in a pretty scathing critique, from a Saudi who got his citizenship stripped for what he said. Did I mention he was a hardcore Baathist in Iraq who became an author when he got too jaded and abandoned the political platform altogether? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_Munif https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Rahman_Munif You can read sources like Mid East History, but I say start finding novelist, poets, and journalists in translation. There are many in translation, both current and recent, going back at least 50-60 years of the Arab political transformations of that period. http://arablit.wordpress.com/ http://arablit.wordpress.com/ The farther back you get, the more scant the first-person art and criticism you get. If you like it, start reading Arabic. I stuck around Arabic for the literature, and believe me those in my ilk know we are weirdos. EDIT: Removed stupidly posted second link to the same Wikipedia article.

phaus 11y ago
I've been meaning to get back to learning Arabic after one failed attempt. I'm into calligraphy and Arabic calligraphy is some of the most beautiful writing in the world.