--- product_id: 59463008 title: "The Arab Mind" price: "$106.26" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.ec/products/59463008-the-arab-mind store_origin: EC region: Ecuador --- # The Arab Mind **Price:** $106.26 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Arab Mind - **How much does it cost?** $106.26 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ec](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/59463008-the-arab-mind) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description First published in 1973, revised in 1983, and updated in 2007 with new demographic information about the Arab world, The Arab Mind takes readers on a journey through the societies and peoples of a complex and volatile region. This sensitive study explores the historical origins of Arab nationalism, the distinctive rhetorical style of Arabic speakers and its effect on politics, traditional attitudes toward child-reading practices, the status of women, the beauty of Arabic literature, and much more. Since Sept 11, 2001, the book's lessons have been misconstrued by some but have proven indispensable to those trying to truly understand the roots of the major political conflicts of our time. In 2010 the book is more relevant than ever. Patai's sympathetic but critical depiction of Arab culture explores the continuing role of the Bedouin values of honor and courage in modern Arab culture, inter-Arab conflict and the aspiration toward unity, and how anti-Western attitudes conflated with anti-modernization have led to stagnation in much of the Arab world. Patai, a prominent anthropologist and historian, drew both on his research and his personal experience to produce this indispensable work in the field of Middle Eastern studies. With an updated forward by Norvell B. DeAtkine, former director of Middle East studies at the JFK Special Warfare School, The Arab Mind remains a relevant and crucial masterpiece of scholarship for anyone seeking to understand this multifaceted culture today. Reviews: "I took this book to Baghdad for my military assignment and left it there with friends who continue to use it to help inform their experiences. The book helped me understand what I was seeing with my own eyes and helped me avoid mis-steps that probably would have been misinterpreted. The book rang true with my experiences and helped me understand the Iraqi people, who I found to be generally good and noble. “ "I have lived in the Middle East, on and off, for four years, and no book explained the Arab mind as well as Raphael Patai's. Written over 30 years ago, it still rings true in so many aspects, and definitely helps explain the cultural clashes that still occur and slow down the process of coexisting. Raphael Patai's love of Arabia and all things Arabic is very obvious throughout his work. Even so, Patai managed to be objective and to portray the good and the bad in Arab culture. Too many authors take one road or the other, allowing personal feelings and thoughts to encroach on the necessary objectivity. Patai, like a true sociologist, presents how a culture was formed, in language easily understandable to the Western mind. . . . "The Arab Mind should nonetheless be mandatory reading for all government workers in the Middle East, as it is truly an indispensible guide through a culture that has been around longer than our own". 1672 “When you read this book, you’ll become interested in sociology as an interesting branch of human sciences. Patai is a genius. His book is by far the best in this respect. For Arab readers: Read the book and in no time you'll find yourselves putting names to the abundant examples Patai cites. The book deals with several interesting traits that most Arabs share in their inherent characters. These include the Arab unawareness of time, their tendency to speak more than they can actually deliver, their fixation with sex and their keenness to preserve Bedouin values which include preserving a group's honor by preserving the chastity of its female members. Even though the book is academic, the style is entertaining as it alternates between theories and real life examples to illustrate them. The book, a classic, is certainly worth a read. Try it!"-- Review by an Arab reader Review: Extremely valuable - Mutual misunderstanding between Arabs and Europeans despite courteous initial contacts is legendary. Too many Europeans are plagued by romanticised images ultimately based on fiction or a naive view of Arabs as Europeans in different dress, a description which vast numbers of Arabs would find insulting. For years I avoided this book because to me its title suggested a simplistic mass categorisation. I was wrong. Patai explains meticulously that although minds vary in any human group, the minds of two groups will display differences just as the minds of individuals do. These differences are based on early upbringing and other influences and Patai presents a great deal of information which helps Westerners to understand the Arab ways of doing things. He is quite clear that he is not alone in his observations and quotes many Arab scholars positively. I am aware that he has been criticised by more recent workers as is the normal course of things in Western intellectual life, but I would still regard this highly readable book as necessary reading for someone who has to work in the Arab world or wants to understand it better. At the same time I would caution against allowing book-knowledge, especially from a somewhat popular book like this, to support a kind of bigotry. An enquiring rather than a dogmatic approach, 'standing on the shoulders of others' will avoid injustice and provide better understanding than the book alone. Review: The uncomfortable truth - I've been living and working in the Arab world for approaching ten years. The Arab Mind encapsulates what I (and virtually all other non-Arabs) come to conclude following our experience of living here for extended periods of time. If you want to know what to expect of Arabs, The Arab Mind is indispensible. The Arab Mind may be deemed to be politically incorrect by the credulous and naive, but then its subject is politically incorrect. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 516,732 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 357 in Islamic Studies 851 in Religious History of Islam 2,212 in Cultural & Ethnic Studies | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 101 Reviews | ## Images ![The Arab Mind - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PKP5kK3RL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extremely valuable *by O***0 on 23 February 2009* Mutual misunderstanding between Arabs and Europeans despite courteous initial contacts is legendary. Too many Europeans are plagued by romanticised images ultimately based on fiction or a naive view of Arabs as Europeans in different dress, a description which vast numbers of Arabs would find insulting. For years I avoided this book because to me its title suggested a simplistic mass categorisation. I was wrong. Patai explains meticulously that although minds vary in any human group, the minds of two groups will display differences just as the minds of individuals do. These differences are based on early upbringing and other influences and Patai presents a great deal of information which helps Westerners to understand the Arab ways of doing things. He is quite clear that he is not alone in his observations and quotes many Arab scholars positively. I am aware that he has been criticised by more recent workers as is the normal course of things in Western intellectual life, but I would still regard this highly readable book as necessary reading for someone who has to work in the Arab world or wants to understand it better. At the same time I would caution against allowing book-knowledge, especially from a somewhat popular book like this, to support a kind of bigotry. An enquiring rather than a dogmatic approach, 'standing on the shoulders of others' will avoid injustice and provide better understanding than the book alone. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The uncomfortable truth *by P***S on 5 September 2018* I've been living and working in the Arab world for approaching ten years. The Arab Mind encapsulates what I (and virtually all other non-Arabs) come to conclude following our experience of living here for extended periods of time. If you want to know what to expect of Arabs, The Arab Mind is indispensible. The Arab Mind may be deemed to be politically incorrect by the credulous and naive, but then its subject is politically incorrect. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not flattering, but realistic *by L***N on 3 June 2020* The Arab Mind, initially published before the dominance of political correctness, does not pull its punches and is accordingly not a a particularly flattering portrait of the Arab people. (A Guardian review of 2014 finds the book 'offensive', but that's no more than you'd expect of a publication with such tender sensibilities.) While the author finds some qualities to praise, he is not slow to highlight the hyperbolic nature of Arab rhetoric, the tendency to blame failings on Israel and the West, a persistent tribal mentality, and a stagnation on all fronts which set in during the Middle Ages and was only addressed by some Arab thinkers in the twentieth century. Some have criticised the book for an undue concern with sexuality, though I think the accusation groundless. One of the book's sixteen chapters is concerned with the said topic, and there are other references here and there, which stops some way short of the preoccupation with Arab sexuality that has been alleged. The writing is lucid, accessible and unpretentious, which should attract many laymen readers, while remaining cogent in its arguments. As someone who has taught students from the Gulf States I find the observations of the Arab perception of time (and punctuality) and the preference for short spells of work followed by lengthy periods of inactivity, resonate with me! ## Frequently Bought Together - The Arab Mind - The Jewish Mind --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ec/products/59463008-the-arab-mind](https://www.desertcart.ec/products/59463008-the-arab-mind) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ecuador* *Store origin: EC* *Last updated: 2026-06-07*