Dear David and all,

I think we have more structural problems in Middle East/Islamic Studies in
the US and Western Academia. I believe we need to have more critical
studies based on a sociological approach in regional studies (Middle
East/Islamic, Latin American, Asian, African); However, in the last 20
years we have more Neorientalist approach which is not different than
Orientalism is emerging in the western academia. This Neo-Orientalist
approach coincides with Neoliberalism, because of the privatization and
grant making trend in academia. The recent coup in Egypt and western
response proves that sociology could provide alternative understanding.

This is a short summary of what Neo-Orienatlism is - from my perspective:
In the next few years, you will see more more scholars will be working on
the exploitable issues (without understanding unequal economic development
in the global south) such as democracy, women and gender rights, minority
rights, Kurdish independence, Christian minorities in the Middle East,
freedom of expression, human rights, etc. And most of these scholars do
not have a similar tone of criticism toward  the West on the issues such
as racism, Islamophobia, immigrant rights in Europe and the US, freedom of
expression and racism in Western academia, etc. However, they will find
"native informants" (by Frantz Fanon)  to prove their viewpoints. I am not
arguing that we do not have issues in the global south, but I argue that
we have Middle East experts who try to civilize the Orient in the name of
the Civilization Project with Rudyard Kipling-style intentions and Native
Informants or House Negroes are part of this, helping the process of
humanitarian imperialism. In the 1960 Congo, Patrice Lumumba was
overthrown by a military man named Mobutu Sese who destroyed Congo's
future, if you read the writings of European Journalists and  academicians
in the West of late 1950 and the early 60's, you will clearly see a
similar tone of civilization project by liberals, much the same as the
case of Morsi and the Ikhwan. Imperialism is the same old imperialism and
nothing has changed, except the tools and apparatus of the state have
changed from a conservative and religious tone to one of 'humanitarian'
liberal Neo-Oreintalism.

Martin Kramer, a neoconservatve WINEP scholar, wrote an interesting book
titled Ivory Towers on Sand: The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies in
America (PDF copy of the
book:http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/IvoryTowers.
pdf) This pro-Israeli scholar criticized American Middle Eastern studies
from a very different angle than mine; however he has a lot interesting
points in the book. Whereas, the counter argument was written by another
scholar, Zackhary Lockman. His book, "Contending Visions of the Middle
East: The History and Politics of
Orientalism"(http://www.amazon.com/Contending-Visions-Middle-East-Contempor
ary/dp/0521133076) indeed was not different then Martin Kramer's book if
we read the details carefully. Both tied Middle East studies to the
interests of American National Security. In these books, they are critical
toward each other, but the main objective is still the same; different
road different people, but the same target. Therefore, we have two options
currently within Middle East Studies in the US; one is the
neo-conservative pro-Israeli lobby and other other one is humanitarian
liberal imperialists; however, this spectrum is not broad enough to
represent existing realities and we need to create more critical
scholarship rather than Talcot Parson or Jeffrey Alexander's style
objectivism. 

Best to all, 

Tugrul




On 7/7/13 3:51 AM, "Brunsma, David" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Well put Tugrul. Nobel Peace Prize or not. ElBaradai, probably not a good
>choice for the human rights of the Egyptian people ­ not that a leader
>can or cannot provide such.
>
>Dr. David L. Brunsma
>Professor of Sociology
>Department of Sociology
>Virginia Tech
>560 McBryde Hall (0137)
>225 Stanger Street
>Blacksburg, VA 24061
>[log in to unmask]
>Executive Officer, Southern Sociological Society
>(http://www.southernsociologicalsociety.org/)
>Founding Co-Editor of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
>(http://www.asanet.org)
>Co-Editor of Societies Without Borders: Human Rights and the Social
>Sciences
>(http://societieswithoutborders.org/)
>Past Chair, Section of Racial and Ethnic Minorities, American
>Sociological Association
>(http://www2.asanet.org/sectionrem/)
>Race and Ethnicity Section Editor, Sociology Compass
>(http://www.blackwell-compass.com/subject/sociology/section_home?section=s
>oco-race)
>Treasurer, Sociologists Without Borders
>(http://www.sociologistswithoutborders.org/)
>Co-Editor of The Handbook of Sociology and Human Rights
>(http://www.paradigmpublishers.com/books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=298828)
>(573) 355-0599 [cell]
>
>"I may never prove what I know to be true, but I know that I still have
>to try." -Dream Theatre
>
>
>From: Tugrul Keskin <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>Reply-To: Tugrul Keskin
><[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>Date: Saturday, July 6, 2013 6:09 PM
>To: 
>"[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>"
><[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>Subject: Re: US Egypt Policies Don¹t Pass the Lau gh Test by Re p. Ron
>Paul -- Antiwar.com
>
>Dr. Blau and all,
>
>ElBaradai has a less than 2% of Egyptian support, whereas Brotherhood has
>received more than 1/3 of the total vote. Wining the Nobel prize is
>actually a negative image in the developing world. Because the west never
>give any prize to a leader who defend his country and people's interests.
> ElBaradei has a very close relations with CFR which is an elitist
>corporate institution. Baradei is  very similar to the Shah of Iran,
>Karzai of Afghanistan and Serdari of Pakistan.
>
>From my view, the military coup in Egypt did not just take a place
>against the Brotherhood, but it has also taken place  against the
>democratic future of Egypt. Therefore, we need to refresh our memories,
>to recall that the US military had a long-standing military-to-military
>relationship with Egypt. In 2011, top Egyptian military officials cut
>their meeting short and left the Pentagon; those generals in the meeting
>were forced to retire. This is a new leadership or what I will call a new
>breed of neoliberal military, which has had good relations with the US
>since then.
>http://www.vocativ.com/07-2013/the-next-pharaoh-meet-general-abdel-fattah-
>al-sisi-the-most-powerful-man-in-egypt/
>http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/07/201373112752442652.html
>On the other hand, another part of the US government has been playing
>with the Brotherhood as well. If we think this military coup took place
>without the knowledge and support of the US, we should quit our pursuit
>of Middle East Studies.
>
>Best to all,
>
>Tugrul
>
>
>From: "Blau, Judith" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>Reply-To: "Blau, Judith" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>Date: Saturday, July 6, 2013 9:33 PM
>To: Human Rights 
><[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>Subject: Re: US Egypt Policies Don’t Pass the Lau gh Test by Re p. Ron
>Paul -- Antiwar.com
>
>Mohamed ElBaradei is to be named as Egypt's prime minister..The Western
>(imperial) powers will jump for joy. For me, it makes a lot of sense - he
>is smart and won the Noble Peace Prize.
>Here is his profile
>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10420218
>________________________________
>From: Human Rights & Social Justice
>[[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>]
>on behalf of Claudia Chaufan
>[[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>]
>Sent: Saturday, July 06, 2013 2:23 PM
>To: 
>[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: US Egypt Policies Don’t Pass the Lau gh Test by Rep. Ron Paul --
>Antiwar.com
>
>http://original.antiwar.com/paul/2013/07/05/us-egypt-policies-dont-pass-th
>e-laugh-test/
>
>
>
>
>
>Sent from my Verizon Wireless Tablet