JOHN MCMANUS is a social anthropologist and writer with over ten years of experience researching and writing about the Middle East. He is the author of Welcome to Hell? In Search of the Real Turkish Football. He lives in Ankara, Turkey.
A stunning exposé ... A social anthropologist by trade, McManus's
focus is not on the secretive intrigues of Qatar's ruling family,
but on the lives of ordinary people - in particular the estimated
2.3 million guest workers who outnumber the locals by nearly ten to
one ... McManus is an engaging writer, who can bring even anonymous
interviewees to life.
*Telegraph*
A committed and conscientious account ... McManus is an empathetic
and sharp-eyed guide.
*Irish Times*
A genuine attempt to grapple with the mysteries of a very curious
place ... McManus explores the country's controversial labour
practices soberly and without sensationalism, and tries to
understand the complexities.
*Irish Examiner*
Entertaining, in-depth and compassionate.
*Geographical*
Written with compassion and balance, Inside Qatar offers a nuanced,
revealing portrait of a profoundly unequal country ... it is a
penetrating glimpse into a country of "camps and compounds" which,
for a few weeks later this year, will be the focus of the world's
eyes.
*Sunday Business Post*
Excellent
*Independent*
This is a wonderful and sometimes devastating book. John McManus
takes us through Qatar from top to bottom, treating everyone he
meets with equal respect no matter where they stand on the
country's ethnic hierarchy that he describes so well. The book is
sophisticated, nuanced, fair-minded and yet very hard-hitting, and
the writing is mercifully clear.
*Simon Kuper, Financial Times columnist and author of
Soccernomics*
This will transport you to Qatar and teach you with humanity and
empathy some of the dark truths about globalisation.
*Ben Judah, author of This is London*
Insightful and empathetic, McManus's conversations with Qataris and
expats shed deep insight into a land of extremes. Written on the
eve of hosting the World Cup, Inside Qatar tells the story of the
richest, hottest country in the world as it takes global centre
stage. An outstanding book.
*Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, Oxford
University*
If you want to understand Qatar read this very readable book. It is
wise, well informed, fair-minded and honest about what it is like
to live in this tiny city state.
*Peter Oborne, journalist and author of The Assault on Truth*
John McManus is a remarkable, compelling writer - wry, alert to
incongruencies, an elegant prose stylist - with an anthropologist's
concern for hidden structures, and a photographer's eye for
detail.
*Rory Stewart*
The harsh spotlight of a World Cup can reduce complex issues to
black and white and cast nuance and shades of grey to the margins
of the discourse. This is a tremendously detailed and considerate
look at Qatar in all its complexities. It does not pull its
punches, but it benefits enormously from a gaze that seeks to
understand rather than to condemn or castigate, and it is this
approach that makes the criticism all the more powerful when it is
delivered. Based on extensive time in the country and discussions
with Qataris and non-Qataris alike, it should be required reading
for anyone heading to the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
*Nick McGeehan, Co-founder/director of FairSquare Projects*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
