A Companion to the Anthropology of the Middle East [Hardcover]

• Named as one of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles of 2016 
• Offers critical perspectives on the theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical goals of anthropology in the Middle East
• Analyzes the conditions of cultural and social transformation in the Middle Eastern region and its relations with other areas of the world
• Features contributions by top experts in various Middle East anthropological specialties
• Features in-depth coverage of issues drawn from religion, the arts, language, politics, political economy, the law, human rights, multiculturalism, and globalization

Notes on Contributors x

Acknowledgments xvii

Preface xviii

Part I Introduction: Theoretical and Conceptual Issues 1

1 Enduring Concerns, Resilient Tropes, and New Departures: Reading the Companion 3
Deniz Kandiyoti

2 Theory and Thematics in the Anthropology of the Middle East 15
Suad Joseph

3 Structure/Agency and the Anthropology of the Middle East 40
Soraya Altorki

4 Reflections on the Politics of Middle East Studies 72
Steven C. Caton

Part II Culture and Everyday Life 89

5 The Politics of Aesthetics in the Muslim Middle East 91
Martin Stokes

6 Dreams and the Miraculous 107
Amira Mittermaier