Area Studies and Social Science : Strategies for Understanding Middle East Politics

"The volume edited by Mark Tessler addresses a set of critical issues confronting all social scientists whose field of inquiry is extra-American. . . . Tessler and his contributors succeed admirably in their goal." ―American Historical Review

How should scholars construct knowledge about politics, economics, and international relations in major world regions? According to the contributors to this lively volume, the conflicting approaches of regional specialists and discipline-oriented social scientists must be combined to provide a firm foundation for studying the contemporary politics of the Middle East. Contributors are Lisa Anderson, Anne Banda, Laurie A. Brand, Laura Zittrain Eisenberg, John P. Entelis, Clement M. Henry, Magda Kandil, Baghat Korany, Jodi Nachtwey, Augustus Richard Norton, and Mark Tessler.

Mark Tessler is Professor of Political Science, Director of the Centerfor Middle Eastern Studies, and Head of the Department of Near EasternStudies. He is author of A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, and co-editor (with David Garnham) of Democracy, War, and Peace in the Middle East.

Jodi Nachtwey is a doctoral student in political science and Research Fellow for the Center of International Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Anne Banda is a doctoral student in urban studies and Assistant Director of the Center for International Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.