- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: W&N; 1st edition edition (25 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0297829297
- ISBN-13: 978-0297829294
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 743,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
What Went Wrong?
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Product Description
Review
This had a press date of 2 May. Bernard did a big interview with the SUNDAY TIMES NEWS REVIEW section which ran on 5 May and we have had some good reviewcoverage with reviews still coming in: ''WHAT WENT WRONG? is a masterly, engaging account of its (the Islamic state) steady decline and clashes with modernity.'Stephen Grey, THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the current problems in the Middle East should start by reading this book, written by a great scholar whose respect for a once-great civilisation is as clear as his cool-headed analysis of what it has become today.'Ian Buruma, THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'authoritative book'Akbar Ahmed,THE GUARDIAN 'bold lines of discussion and masterly perspective'Anton La Guardian, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH 'the book is a great pleasure to read because of the breadth of Lewis's knowledge, his ability to summon up the illuminating quotation, his familiarity with unsual byways of historical investigation, and, of course, the delightful fluency of his pen.'ME Yapp, LITERARY REVIEW 'Few contemporary scholars of Islamic culture and history can match the erudition and insight of Lewis. In this work he offers a learned and absorbing explanation of the reasonsfor the rather sad state in which the Muslim world finds itself today despite all the achievements and glory that Islam enjoyed in medieval times. And a very compelling explanation it is too'.COMMONWEALTH LAWYERS ASSOCIATION 2002 The book was also selected by John Gross in the SUNDAY TELEGRAPH for his summe
Book Description
Why the Islamic world has been losing the conflict with the West for 300 years - and the frustration and humiliation this has produced
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First Sentence
The Treaty Of Carlowitz has a special importance in the history of the Ottoman Empire, and even, more broadly, in the history of the Islamic world, as the first peace signed by a defeated Ottoman Empire with victorious Christian adversaries. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The Treaty Of Carlowitz has a special importance in the history of the Ottoman Empire, and even, more broadly, in the history of the Islamic world, as the first peace signed by a defeated Ottoman Empire with victorious Christian adversaries. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A comparative history,
By
This review is from: What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East (Paperback)
As many other readers have suggested, this is not Bernard Lewes' best work, and it is a bit of a failure in one important respect: it doesn't answer the rhetorical question from the title. Lewis is much better at describing historic events and finding out insightful and important tidbits of information than he is at deeper analysis. This is quite understandable, since he is a historian of the old school and neither political nor social scientist. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating and interesting book, and anyone who is not familiar with the history of the Middle East, especially compared to the history of Europe, would benefit from reading it. The book was completed shortly before 9/11 attacks on the US, but in its themes it proved extremely prescient and relevant. Lewis is very sympathetic towards his subject matter, the peoples and cultures of the Middle East, and is fair minded and balanced when presenting historical facts. His is not the goal of condemning and denigrating Middle Eastern peoples and the Islamic word, but a genuine concern for explaining that part of the world, and through explaining aiding in its understanding. This is an admirable book that goes a long way towards achieving that goal.
27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Small Book about a Big Problem,
By A Customer
This review is from: What Went Wrong?: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response (Paperback)
"What Went Wrong?" is a short question about a very big problem. The Muslim world, which once led the world in wealth, arts and sciences, now lags most of the world in wealth, arts and sciences. What was once a dominant world culture is now no longer dominant and has been surpassed not only by the West, but also has been surpassed by much of East Asia. This is the problem that is the subject of this book.Bernard Lewis writes lucidly about what he knows best - the results of his many years of distinguished scholarship in the history of the Middle East. He sheds much light on the answer to the question of "what went wrong?". He starts with the Muslim world's discovery of a challenge on its frontiers with the history of its military failures that started in the early 18th century. He then goes on to describe the impact of this challenge on the Muslim cultural world. The impact was mostly in the form of various Muslim attempts (mostly failed) to capture for itself the secret ingredients of wealth and power. More than any other author Prof. Lewis will bring you closer to the answers and prospects for the future. His arguments are particularly good on the Western impact on politics, administration and science in the Middle East. His book has little to say on the economic history of the region, which I thought would be central to answering the question "what went wrong?". The reader will enjoy the book for its style and the authority of its scholarship. Note the chapter notes and bibliography that are both solidly packed with sources in the original Middle Eastern languages. This is a refreshing change from most other popular scholarship on the topic (e.g. Esposito's The Islamic Threat) that seems to be based upon secondary sources in only one language - English.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating look at Islam,
By
This review is from: What Went Wrong?: Approaches to the Modern History of the Middle East (Hardcover)
This interesting book is really two books in one. The first part of this book is a fascinating history of the interaction between the Ottoman Empire and the Christian West. The author begins in the sixteenth century, when the Ottoman Empire appeared to be the height of power and culture, while Christian Europe appeared to be comparatively weak and barbarous. However, as the dialogue continues the reader sees the Empire pass into first relative and then absolute decline, as the West gained more and more power. The steps taken by the Ottomans to stem their decline are shown, as is the reason why they were ineffective. This dialogue is quite interesting, and explains a great deal about how the Muslim world evolved.Starting in the sixth chapter, the author changes to an examination of Islam, and its fundamental differences with Christianity. In particular, I found the author's analysis of the polyphonic nature of Western music and syncretic nature of Western civilization to be quite intriguing. The final chapter brings the narrative around to the subject of the title, What Went Wrong? Why is it that Islam was so inventive and civilized at it's beginning, and yet moved so far away from such things? No definite answer is given. This book is a fascinating look at Islam, one that I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in understanding the evolution of Islam, and how the Muslim world go to where it is today.
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