We are told that Western/Christian and Muslim/Arab civilizations are heading towards inevitable conflict, yet Youssef Courbage and Emmanuel Todd's measured analysis shows another reality taking shape: rapprochement between these two civilizations, benefiting from a universal movement with roots in the Enlightenment. The historical and geographical sweep of this book discredits the notion of a specific Islamic demography. The range of fertility among Muslim women, for example, is as wide-ranging as religious behavior among Muslims in general. Whether agnostics, fundamentalist Salafis, or al-Qaeda activists, Muslims are a diverse group that prove the variety and individuality of Islam. Courbage and Todd consider different degrees of literacy, patriarchy, and defensive reactions among minority Muslim populations, underscoring the spread of massive secularization throughout the Arab and Muslim world.
List of Figures and Tables Introduction: Clash of Civilizations or Universal History 1. The Muslim Countries in the Movement of History 2. Crises of Transition 3. The Arab Family and the Transition Crisis 4. Other Muslim Women: East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa 5. At the Heart of Islam: The Arab World 6. The Non-Arab Greater Middle East 7. After Communism 8. Matrilocal Asia 9. Sub-Saharan Africa Conclusion Appendix Notes
Youssef Courbage is research director at the French National Institute for Demographic Studies. His research concerns Arab and Muslim countries, Asia and Eastern Europe, and interactions among demography and politics. He has studied economics, sociology, demography, and urban planning at Lebanese and French universities. Emmanuel Todd is a researcher at the French National Institute for Demographic Studies and author of numerous books, including After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order, The Final Fall: An Essay on the Decomposition of the Soviet Sphere, The Making of Modern France: Ideology, Politics, and Culture.
Youssef Courbage and Emmanuel Todd totally recast the current debate about Islam and the West by focusing attention on some societal fundamentals and by debunking-once and for all-a number of myths. -- Nicolas Guilhot, editor of The Invention of International Relations Theory This articulate and elegant demographic study convincingly documents a general trend toward modernity in the Muslim world, from Morocco to Indonesia. It successfully refutes many Western prejudices towards Islam, especially those based on misconceptions about its religion. It should be required reading for Western policy makers as well as for the general public. -- Leon-Francois Hoffmann, Princeton University An insightful academic study of how the unrest and turbulence that characterizes large areas of the Muslim world are the results of demographic-rather than ideological-trends... Important reading. Kirkus Reviews I found this succinct book fascinating and recommend it. -- Patrick J. Ryan Commonweal Engaging for a general reader and rewarding for a specialist... Highly recommended. Choice Scholarly and engaging, this is an important work and one which deserves to be widely read. -- Sandra Berns Law Society Journal A positive, enlightening survey. The Midwest Book Review A primer in the demography of Muslim societies, a treatise on the causes and consequences of fertility decline, and a rejoinder to the 'clash of civilizations' argument. -- John Casterline Population and Development Review Written with clarity and elan. Review of Middle East Studies
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