Middle Easterners today are caught between memories of the past and frustrated hopes for the future. They struggle to find solutions to crises of economic stagnation, political and social repression, and cultural identity. In recent decades Islam has become central to this struggle, and almost every issue involves fierce, sometimes violent debates over the role of religion in public life.

Understanding the Modern Middle East, developed as a sequel to the very successful Understanding Islam* program, is a reading and discussion program that uses a single text as background for a series of lectures and discussions examining these issues. In BETWEEN MEMORY AND DESIRE: The Middle East in a Troubled Age, R. Stephen Humphreys integrates the medieval and modern history of the Middle East to show how the sacred and secular are tightly interwoven in its political and intellectual life.

Humphreys discusses the conflicts over power and resources that engage Middle Eastern politicians and looks at the major ideologies that have shaped these conflicts. He focuses on the impact of Islam on public life and examines Muslim ways of thinking about the “secular” versus the “religious.” What values does Islam promote? What challenges does it pose to “ordinary” politics? What resources does it bring to the struggle for social justice?

Humphreys recognizes the Western tendency to dismiss Middle Eastern politics as an incoherent tale of violence and fanaticism, and his book is especially valuable for its analysis of the deeper issues behind the headlines. These issues include the region’s apparent inability to evolve democratic institutions, conflicts rooted in the peace settlements after World War I, and the unresolved debates over which cultural and moral values should drive Middle Eastern policy.

Between Memory and Desire reminds us that Middle Easterners remember the past in specific ways: the shame of the colonial era; the disappointments since independence; and the glory of the Middle Ages, when Muslim achievements were respected throughout the world. Even if these memories are only partially true, in defining the past, they also define what the future ought to be.

How the program works:

Understanding the Modern Middle East is a reading, lecture and discussion program offered free of charge through your public library. Sessions are generally scheduled on weekday evenings from 7-9 PM, and libraries choose three or four lectures from the scholar and lecture catalogue.

Topics include, but are not limited to: women in public life, the reorganization of the Middle East During the Post World War I period, military dictatorship, US foreign policy, jihad, Islam, imperialism, and fundamentalism.

Participants buy their own copy of Between Memory and Desire or may borrow a copy from a limited number loaned to the library, and use the text as background reading for the entire series. Scholars from local colleges and universities will present 45-minute talks on topics explored in the book, and then lead a discussion with participants for the second half of the session.

Teachers who attend a series will be issued certificates of attendance that they can use to earn Professional Development Points.

This program will be offered for the second year in 15 libraries in 2005-06. Libraries will be selected from this summer. You can see the list libraries that held the program in 2005-06 libraries. The number of participants is limited only by space constraints, and this will vary from library to library, so early registration is recommended.

Enjoy yourself! A reading and discussion program is a social as well as an educational experience.

Scholars

Are you a scholar of Middle Eastern studies interested in participating in this program? Please fill out our Scholar Information Form (download) and email it to Hayley Wood or send via ground mail to the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, 66 Bridge Street, Northampton, MA 01060.

If you are interested in hosting Understanding the Modern Middle East, contact Hayley Wood.

*Understanding Islam continues to be available for libraries or community groups to borrow; project coordinators may apply for library reading and discussion grants to cover scholar honoraria. Libraries are routinely expected to cover half of these costs and apply for grants of no more than $500, although exceptions are made.