Abstract

The Uncultured Wars is a powerful indictment of dominant American liberal-left discourse. Through twelve stylish essays Steven Salaita returns again and again to his core themes of anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia and the inadequacy of critical thought amongst the 'chattering classes', showing how racism continues to exist in the places where we would least expect it. By looking at topics as diverse as 'Is Jackass Justifiable?', 'Open Mindedness on Independence Day' and 'Ambition, Terrorism and Empathy', Salaita explores why Arabs are marginalized, and who seeks to benefit from this. He goes on to make the case that Arabs and Muslims urgently need to be included in the conversations that people have about American geopolitics. Part of a long tradition of politically engaged writing, and a trailblazer in the emerging genre of Arab-American writing, this book is eminently readable and relevant to our times.
'Funny, sarcastic, witty, provocative, engaging and challenging, this book is sure to leave a significant mark on how we think about and enact progressive politics' Evelyn Alsultany, University of Michigan 'The Uncultured Wars is a searing intervention by a political thinker who incisively critiques US liberalism, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and the brutal excesses of empire. Salaita's eloquent, honest and witty analysis challenges contemporary thinking about race, religion, feminism, indigeneity, the 'war on terror' and the Middle East. This is a book that anyone interested in cultural politics must read.' Sunaina Maira, University of California 'You hold in your hands the work of a genuine intellectual, someone who privileges humanity over capital. Refusing to engage simplistic binaries, Salaita has provided a nuanced and much needed perspective that helps to historicize, anchor and elucidate the place of Arabs and Muslims in the larger central questions of race. The Uncultured Wars is illuminating, forthright and stripped to bare honesty.' Matthew Shenoda, author of Somewhere Else and Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone
Steven Salaita is Assistant Professor of English at Virginia Tech. His other books include Anti-Arab Racism in the USA (2006); The Holy Land in Transit (2006) and Arab American Literary Fictions, Cultures, and Politics (2006).