| The Great Satan vs. the Mad Mullahs: How the United States and Iran Demonize Each Other Contributor(s): Beeman, William O. (Author), Beeman, William O. (Preface by) |
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ISBN: 0226041476 ISBN-13: 9780226041476 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $29.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: April 2008 Annotation: The United States and Iran have been estranged for 25 years. They have carried out a mutual process of demonization that is unprecedented in modern history, based on cultural "hot buttons" that have the power to galvanize the populations of both countries. Iranian leaders have characterized the United States as the Great Satan--an evil corruptor that pollutes society and destroys personal morality. These leaders readily make the analogy between the United States and the Umayyid rulers who in 680 C.E. killed the Imam Hussein, the central religious figure in the history of the Iranian state religion, Twelver Shi'ism. American leaders characterize the members of the current government of the Islamic Republic of Iran as "Mad Mullahs," wild-eyed and irrational. They accuse them of fomenting the hostage crisis, in which American embassy personnel were held for 444 days at the end of the Carter administration, dealing a severe blow to U.S. national honor. The Bush administration has further accused the Iranians of being part of an "Axis of Evil" on the basis of their alleged support of terrorists, oppression of women and minorities, and development of nuclear weapons. Giving a thorough account of the background of U.S.-Iranian relations, Beeman claims that the current accusations of both Iran and the United States are baseless, consisting largely of public invective and symbolic rhetoric according to their own mythologies of evil. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | International Relations - General - History | United States - General - History | Middle East - General |
| Dewey: 327.730 |
| LCCN: 2007043318 |
| Physical Information: 0.67" H x 6.29" W x 8.95" (0.93 lbs) 320 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Middle East - Chronological Period - 1950-1999 - Chronological Period - 21st Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: For more than twenty-five years, the United States and Iran have been diplomatically estranged, each characterizing the other not only as a political adversary, but also as devious, threatening, and essentially evil. According to William O. Beeman's provocative book, The "Great Satan" vs. the "Mad Mullahs," such demonization is a self-fulfilling prophecy, as both countries have embraced exactly the policies and rhetoric that would particularly threaten or insult the other. Drawing on his experience as a linguistic anthropologist, Beeman parses how political leaders have used historical references, religious associations, and the mythology of evil to inflame their own citizens against the foreign country, and proposes a way out of this dangerous debacle. "William Beeman's analysis of dissonant perceptions of Iran and the USA is compelling and important. . . . I am particularly grateful for this work."--James Peacock, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill " Beeman] is more interested in informing the reader than in impressing his peers. The other strength of the book lies in the author's knowledge of Iranian history and culture. . . . It challenges the reader and forces him to question stereotypes about Iran and Washington's perspective on the country."--Abbas William Samii, Middle East Journal |