Caught in a Dream
Nine Paradoxes from Middle-Eastern Medievalism
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This book sheds light on the confluence of the petrodollar and radical Islamic movements in the vicious circle of world terrorism which comes as a result of a region hooked on an ancestral dream. The author dwells on nine representative paradoxes out of the paradigm of a region of paradox to demonstrate his thesis. Added is an "Essay on Mesopotamianism" with the select bibliography.
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About the Book
Caught in a Dream is based on the hypothesis that the Middle East is currently a problematic region in so far as world peace and regional stability are in question. It is problematic intrinsically because it is hooked on an ancestral dream on both the governmental and popular levels. Middle-Eastern medievalism is instrumental for the survival of undemocratic forms of government; and it guaranties a backward public opinion that complements the magic circle of the illusive vision through the demagoguery of the prevailing radical Islamic groups which are now fuelled and maintained by the petrodollar the industrial world provides in return for oil. To verify the above hypothesis, Professor Al Da’mi examines nine demonstrative paradoxes which crystallize the obsessive and blinding medievalism of this `region of paradox’ through discussions of the geographically loose and derogatory denomination of the `Middle East’, the durable residual impact of Ottoman legacy with its issues, the failure of constant and accumulative progress due to intermittent governmental change, the incongruity between state authority and the cultural elite, the toleration of despotism as a result of resilient medieval relationships and social structures, the futility of progressive change attempted by oppositions which carry identical reactionary values, the dilemma of the educational systems, the American involvement in Iraq and the region which stimulated cultural responses of revealing meaning. “An Essay on Mesopotamianism” demonstrates the continuity of the Western approaches to Iraq as a model case of regional significance.
About the Author
Muhammed Al Da’mi, M.A. & Ph.D. (born, 1955) is Professor of English and Orientalist Literature. His work in the academia exceeds twenty seven years in the universities of Baghdad, Aden, Irbid, ASU (USA). He is author of a number of books and scholarly papers in Arabic and English. He contributes to the Arabic press weekly. Al Da’mi is a member in several Iraqi and Arabic cultural and specialized societies, including The House of Wisdom, Baghdad. He has been interviewed by several satellite channels both Arabic and English.