Article(electronic)#1February 2001
MAHMUD A. FAKSH, The Future of Islam in the Middle East: Fundamentalism in Egypt, Algeria, and Saudi Arabia (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1997). Pp. 148. $49.95 cloth. MAHMOOD MONSHIPOURI, Islamism, Secularism, and Human Rights in the Middle East (Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner, 1998). Pp. 270. $55.00 c...
In: International journal of Middle East studies: IJMES, Volume 33, Issue 1, p. 154-156
ISSN: 1471-6380
Middle Eastern studies is frequently criticized in the social sciences for being atheoretical and
descriptive. While it is effective in elucidating the complexities of societies, a lack of theory tends
to isolate Middle Eastern studies from social-science disciplines, because it often lacks applicable
frameworks or concepts that can be applied outside the region. A growing group of scholars is
attempting to address this concern by integrating strong empirical area expertise and the rigor of
social-science inquiry to enhance the explanatory power of research.